


Regina's Queen

by TitaniaTempest



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Falling In Love, Gen, Happy Ending, Inspired by Once Upon a Time (TV), Lesbian Character, Lesbian Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Love, Magic, Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time), True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-23 01:37:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23837014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitaniaTempest/pseuds/TitaniaTempest
Summary: Hunted by a shadow-beast and stalked by a beautiful stranger, things are not going Regina's way. Girlxgirl endgame and a cast of characters you know and love from the hit TV show - what's not to like?*A/N*Not set particularly to the show's timeline, but could fit in around beginning of Season 4...?Also, I claim no ownership of any of these OUAT Characters, Settings etc (Obviously! It's Fanfic, just for fun!)
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

This close to midnight, the beach was deserted. 

In the crisp quiet of the autumn night, the musical whisper of the waves rolled across the shore. The soft sighs of the wind caressed the sands, eddying out to sea beneath the bright liquid light of the full moon. Lunar reflections waltzed slowly across the ripples of water in long silver ribbons, lazily dancing away the night as the witching hour drew near. 

Across Storybrooke, the town clock carefully ticked away the seconds. With a long, mournful peal of its bell, the first strike of midnight rang out.

The sea shuddered. 

With the second peal of the clock, a shivering energy woke the waves. The wind flurried in distraction. The dance of moonlight upon the waves grew frantic, giddy. The sea began to roil. 

At the ninth peal, the waves smashed themselves against the shore. Beneath the tide a scarlet glow ignited, and the seafoam frothed upon the waves like blood.

The light brightened, turning the entire churning sea as red as a fresh-picked apple. At the eleventh peal, a great wave reared up beneath the howling wind. Upon its crown, froths of foam billowed, shot through with red and silver as the moonlight warred with the glow from beneath the sea. The wave pulled itself higher, higher, beneath its silver and scarlet mantel. It roared forth toward Storybrooke.

At the twelfth stroke of midnight, the wave reached the shore. 

With a thunderous crash, it spent its immense power upon the sand. Froth and foam sprayed high into the dark air, raining back down in a cascade of crimson and silver. The froth of foam shuddered upon the shore. Slowly, the water slipped back towards the sea. The last echoes of the clock tower faded to silence. 

The night became eerily quiet.

In the wake of the wave, the last wisps of seafoam drew themselves together, lit brightly from within by glowing red and silver light. Delicately, they spiralled upward from the sand. Strands of foam misted and thickened; solidifying and shining with magic. Light and foam, and magic, coalesced into a shadowy form. At last, the slender figure of a woman flickered into focus, crouching down upon the sand as she slowly caught her breath. 

The last remnants of scarlet light gathered in fickle ribbons around her, drawing with it the moonlight. Melding, shimmering, it morphed itself into tangible form. A dress of the deepest red began to condense across the woman's shoulders. A shimmering corset fitted itself snugly against her chest, cut low enough to be daring. The remaining light dripped downwards, pooling at her feet in a long scarlet train laced through with stolen silver strands of moonlight.

Still crouching, the woman took a long, careful breath as the mirage became real. She glanced down in mild curiosity at the feel of coarse beach sand beneath her fingers. Closing her fist around a handful, she lifted it slowly. Like powder through an hourglass, it trickled through her fingers. 

When the last grain had fallen, darkness had settled back into the night. 

She closed her eyes and turned her head slowly from side to side; feeling, sensing, seeking... something. Then, she felt it; the pull. Her moonlight-grey eyes snapped open, sparkling like starlight in the darkness. She lifted her chin in the direction of Storybrooke, and a slow smile spread across her ruby lips. Her silvery eyes were as intent as a hunting osprey, and her power, her purpose, rose up in her breast.

She knew.

She knew who she was, and why she had come. 

Purring with power, she rose to her feet. Her stunning red dress smoothed itself around her of its own accord, and she paused with her keen gaze fixed unerringly upon on the town. 

Yes, she knew exactly who had summoned her. In the quiet darkness before she took her first step, one whispered word dropped from her lips:

"Regina."


	2. Chapter 2

Regina bolted upright with a cry. The darkness around her was impenetrable to sleepy eyes. She clutched white-knuckled at the sheets, one hand at her chest to comfort her thundering heart. She forced herself to take a long, deep breath, and, slowly, the room came into focus in the dark. She remembered that she was at home, in her own room, in her own bed. Safe. She glanced at the luminous digital clock on the nightstand. 12:01am, it flashed at her.

Midnight, she thought, irritably.

She drew the cool night air quietly in and released it slowly through parted lips. Instinctively, her gaze darted to the window. There was nothing there. Through the half open curtains that danced in the breeze, she could see the ocean in the distance. It was a darker line against the night-dark sky. Above it, the full moon glowed brightly. Questing fingers of silver light streamed through the window, pooling silently on the floor beside her bed. Regina glared at the silver puddle for a long moment, wondering if the brightness was what had woken her so abruptly. But she reconsidered. She knew it wasn't moonlight that had woken her. No, it was magic.

She shook herself, dispelling the dregs of sleep, then closed her eyes and breathed in the night more deeply still. She felt the tingle of magic pulling at her from the direction of the sea. She furrowed her brow in concentration, and became aware of a tugging sensation deep in her chest. It was strong and insistent, as though she should get up and follow its silent suggestion at once. As she became fully awake and focused, she let the sensation turn her head slowly back towards the window. She felt a tug and opened her eyes, gasping as the brightness of the full moon burst into her. She yelped aloud as the gentle tug took on a powerful surge, reminiscent of a hook behind her rib cage. She clutched frantically at the sheets one more, her back arching powerfully as though she were being pulled toward the moon by a string through her heart.

"Enough of this!" she gasped through gritted teeth. 

Her magic flared at her fingertips. She threw one hand up and then swept it back down decisively, severing the invisible cord. The sensation abruptly dissipated, and she swung her legs irritably out of the bed. She pushed her feet into the waiting grey slippers beside it, and stalked over to the window. 

She slammed it shut. 

Roughly, she pulled the curtains tightly over it and plunged the room into darkness. She cast a protection spell across it for good measure, then stood back and dusted her hands with a smug smile. Not a trace of moonlight filtered through.

"That's better," she declared. She glared at the closed drapes for a moment, daring them to try something. 

Nothing happened. 

With a huff, she stalked back to the bed, using the dim illumination of the bedside clock to light her way. Kicking off her slippers, she glared once more at the tightly shut window and drapes, then lay back and flung the covers over herself in annoyance. As she settled against the pillow and stared up at the dark ceiling, she relaxed and let her mind explore what had just happened. Someone, or something, had pushed a flash of powerful magic at her. Of that, she was certain. 

The question was, why?

She imagined again the sensations she had felt, musing on the insistent tugging that had flared up under the glow of the moonlight. It hadn't felt like anything she'd ever experienced before. She ran through her mind a catalogue of spells, enchantments, and natural magical phenomena, but by the time the bedside clock flashed 12:53am, she was no closer to solving the riddle. Despite her many years of magical expertise, she had no idea what it could be. 

Tomorrow, she thought at last, stifling a yawn. Although the magic had been strong and unsettling, she had confidence in her protection spell, and she would give the whole thing more thought over a strong cup of tea in the morning. She was tired, and the riddle could wait.

With a sigh, she emptied her mind of the problem and invited sleep to take her, but before she had quite succumbed to slumber, her thoughts drifted back to the dream she had been caught up in before she'd been so rudely awakened. Frowning even with her eyes closed, she tried to ignore it and force sleep. It hadn't exactly been a pleasant dream, and she didn't particularly want to think about it. It had involved Daniel, Robin, and her father. 

She felt her chest tighten, as though the invisible hook that had snared her before was back, twisting her heart. They were all people she had loved - and lost - one way or another. All pretty, temporary dreams; moments in life when she had naively dared to have hope. Moments that had bitterly burned themselves out and left her the lonely Queen of the ashes. She lifted the corner of her mouth in distaste, as though the real flavour of ash coated her tongue.

Villains don't get happy endings.

She turned onto her side, forcing the dream faces of her once-loved ones from her mind.

Love is weakness.

She clung to the mantra like a lifeline. Yet still, the hook turned in her heart. A tear formed unbidden at the corner of her lashes and drifted forlornly down her cheek. A sad, quiet emptiness flowed through her, leaving in its wake an unbearable aching. She closed her eyes tightly, fists clenched to stem the threatening tide.

Love is weakness. I don't need it.

Her voice screamed in her mind, but another tear escaped her.

I don't WANT it!

She curled into a ball and forced her thoughts to Henry, her only happiness. She loved him, truly, in a way she hadn't thought possible. He was her reason for living; the light in her otherwise dark and bitter life. Thoughts of him always calmed her, pushed her despair back into its cage, and left her able to breathe again.

But not tonight.

Tonight, somehow, something was different. Something was wrong. Despite her best efforts, she could not pin his face in her mind. The image of his smile wavered, faded, vanished.

Unchained, the loneliness roared forth, crushing her vain efforts at control. She gasped for breath, and her sobs broke free at last. Tonight, even Henry wasn't enough. She couldn't control the surge of emotion. It overwhelmed her, and as her tears streamed unchecked, all that was left was despair.


	3. Chapter 3

With a groan, Regina stirred. She disentangled her arms from the covers, trying to shield her eyes from the sunlight streaming through the window. It had taken a long time to cry herself to sleep once she had begun, and she was feeling the aftermath this morning. She felt drained, exhausted, and she wasn't ready to waken just yet. Squeezing her eyes more tightly shut, she tried stubbornly to go back to sleep, but the bright rays of sunshine caressed her face, urging her to consciousness. 

The sunshine... She bolted upright, flinging the covers away in alarm.

The curtains! The window! Both were wide open! 

Not even pausing for her slippers, she flew out of the bed to the aperture, reaching out to touch the drapes in disbelief. Her fingers made contact with fabric, and magic sang through her veins. She snatched back her hand with a gasp. Her protection spell was still there, but it was not the same. Somehow, it was amplified, and there was a second signature of magic underlying her own. She pressed her fist to her chest, unnerved by the steady hum of unknown power. 

Someone, or something, had been in the room with her. A flicker of alarm passed over her fine features. It wasn't possible - no one could have tampered with her spell. Her unease grew; she was breathing too fast, she realised. She took a deep breath to settle herself, and fresh air filled her lungs. It was sweet and clear, but not crisp with the energy of a bright autumn morning, as it should be. Instead, it brought night-sweet scents of honeysuckle and apple-blossom, as though the breeze gently bore their fragrances beneath the cool light of a full moon.

"What the hell is going on?" she cursed aloud in apprehension. 

She swung away from the window and snatched her phone up off the nightstand. She punched at the keys, and it rang for a long, tense moment.

"Did you die in your sleep?" she snapped when Emma answered at last.

"Regina," Emma slurred, her voice thick and sleepy, "Do you know how early it is?"

"There's been a break-in," Regina said brusquely, ignoring the question.

"Wh-at?" Emma said, failing to stifle a yawn, "Where?"

"My house," Regina said. She added softly, "My room."

"What!" Emma exclaimed, fully alert at last. There was a flurry of movement on her end of the line.

"Regina, what happened?"

"Just get here. Bring Gold."

Regina hung up, denying Emma the opportunity to ply her with more irrelevant questions. She stifled a shiver as she glanced back at the window, somehow flung wide to let in the sea breeze. She took a moment to gather her wits, then pointedly turned her back on it to see about getting dressed.

Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Regina, artfully attired in a tailored sapphire-blue and black pant-suit, swept through the hall to admit her visitors.

"It's about time you got here," she shot at them, before the door was even fully open.

"Pleasure to see you too, dearie," Gold's voice mocked her.

Emma rolled her eyes, foregoing a greeting altogether, and gestured for Regina to step aside and let them in.

"What happened?" Emma asked as they ascended the staircase and entered the room in question.

"I have no idea," Regina snapped, "That's why I called you. I woke up this morning and the curtains and window were wide open."

She gestured heatedly toward the guilty fixtures, and Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Was the latch broken?" she asked evenly, trying for patience.

"No," Regina's voice turned frigid at the trivial question, "And neither was the protection spell that I sealed it with when I shut it last night. Yet this morning, the window and curtains are wide open. Riddle me that, Sheriff."

"You sealed it with a protection spell?" Gold interrupted. His hands rested loosely on his cane, his face impassive.

"That's what I just said," Regina hissed at him.

"Why?" Gold asked, undeterred by her disdain.

"What do you mean, why?" Regina retorted, "There's clearly a criminal on the loose!"

"Why did you seal the window with a protection spell, before the break-in, dearie?" He said it patronisingly slowly, as though trying to make himself understood by an imbecile.

Regina glared at him, clearly reconsidering her idea that he might be of use in shedding some light on her dilemma.

"Regina," Emma sighed, stepping between them, "Will you just tell us what exactly happened last night? Then we can try to figure this out."

A miniscule flash of apprehension flickered across Regina's features as she recalled exactly what had happened last night. The expression brushed over her face in a heartbeat, so small that none but an expert in fear would have even noticed. Emma didn't see it, but, of course, Gold did. His hands tightened imperceptibly atop his cane, his curiosity piqued. Well, well. The imperturbable Evil Queen was afraid - how very, very interesting.

"The moonlight woke me," Regina was saying as Gold turned his attention back to her actual words. Her voice was hard, annoyed, insinuating that she had no desire to be questioned about the sincerity of her explanation. "I may have been a little irate - it was late, after all... So, I sealed the window shut."

"With a protection spell?" Gold mused out loud, "That must have been quite a moonbeam, dearie."

Regina's eyes narrowed dangerously. Emma saw fit to step in again.

"You know my superpower, Regina," she said drily, "I get the feeling there's a lot more to this story than you're telling us."

"Fine," Regina flung her hands up in annoyance, "There was something in here."

"What do you mean, something?" Emma's eyes narrowed in turn. 

Regina met her gaze darkly. She weighed her options, realising that she would have to be more forthcoming with the facts than she would like if she wanted their help. She knew she was out of her depth on this one, and her pride would have to take a backseat. Finally, her shoulders lost their tension. She would tell them the story – enough of it to help them help her, anyway.

"I woke just after midnight," she said. Her voice was soft and distant, and her eyes held a far-away expression as she remembered with startling clarity. "It was magic that woke me. It was like, I don't know, a tugging sensation... like... yearning, I suppose... I tried to trace it, but when I opened my eyes to the moonlight it felt like my chest exploded. It was a feeling I can't explain. Heart-wrenching, perhaps... Yes, that's the best way to describe it..." She closed her eyes as the ghost of the sensation flowed through her once more. "It was like a bottomless ache that doesn't really hurt, but takes all your breath away..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and then faded away. A soft frown creased her fair brow above her shuttered eyes.

Emma's voice was suddenly loud in her head. "Regina! What's happening? You're glowing!"

Regina snapped back to the present. She caught a glimpse of a faint shimmer surrounding her, but it faded away almost as soon as she opened her eyes. Caught by surprise, she traded a startled glance with Emma before she could stop herself. Then, she realised that she was showing weakness. In front of Emma... and Gold, of all people. And Gold was watching her, with that condescending expression he had perfected.

"Anyway," she dismissed the subject acidly, brushing at her spotless black skirt as though tormenting invisible flecks of dust, "Somehow, the whole thing was keyed to the moonlight. Since I didn't know what it was, I sealed the window. Are you happy now?"

A moment of prickly silence followed, and Regina squared her shoulders. Gold was scrutinizing her uncomfortably closely, and Emma was looking at her with an irritating amount of concern.

"What?" she hissed at them. She planted her hands on her hips in a warning stance.

"Nothing!" Emma responded quickly. She knew when not to press Regina and held up her palms in mute surrender.

Gold ignored them both and stepped to the window. Looking thoughtfully down his nose at the sill, he narrowed his eyes as he probed at the remaining wisps of power hanging in the air. He tilted his head to look more closely, and a faint sparkle on the edge of the opening caught his eye. Regina watched suspiciously as he leaned lightly on his cane and reached for the sill. He plucked at something nearly invisible with his long fingers, and then swivelled back towards the two women, holding his prize aloft.

"You appear to be right, dearie." His tone was carefully neutral. He held out a single, long strand of hair to her. "You were definitely not alone." 

With a troubled expression, Regina made no move to reach for the strand, so Emma took it instead. She studied it curiously. At first glance, it appeared black as a raven's wing, but as she turned it to the light, it shimmered with myriad tiny sparkles of silver. The effect was unusual - night dark, but bright as moonlight.

Regina had backed against the wall, clutching at her chest protectively. "What the hell is that?" Her eyes had narrowed to slits, and her face was pale as cream.

"It appears to be a strand of hair, dearie," Gold stated.

"Yes, I can see that," Regina snapped her glare from the strand to Gold's smug face, "What is it from?"

"Not what, dearie," Gold answered with a pleasant smile, "Who."

Regina's face, if it was possible, paled even further. Emma glared at Gold.

"You seem to be taking an unusual amount of pleasure from tormenting Regina over this," she accused, "What do you know?"

"I may have some ideas," Gold smiled glibly, "But I think I'll let you figure it out on your own."

"Gold!" Regina shouted. She tore herself away from the wall in renewed fury. "If you don't tell me what you know, I'll have your head on a plate!"

"I think not, dearie," Gold sneered, holding up one finger to stay her, "This isn't the Enchanted Forest, after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, Belle is waiting for me, and I have real business to attend to."

Regina choked on her rage, and he turned and strode out of the room. She recovered a heartbeat later and made to fly down the stairs after him, but Emma caught her arm.

"Regina," she warned, "Let him go."

"Let him go!" Regina exploded, rounding on Emma instead, "Someone has invaded my personal space, with magic I don't recognise! My safety is at stake!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Oh, wait... that's right! No one cares what happens to villains!"

Emma stood her ground. "I care. And you're not a villain anymore - to me, you're family. Don't let Gold get to you."

Abruptly, Regina deflated. She sank onto the edge of the bed and cradled her head in her hands, stifling a sob. Silently, Emma sat down beside her and put an arm cautiously around her shoulders.

"Regina," she said quietly, giving her a gentle squeeze, "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"I can't very well tell you anything if I don't know what's going on," Regina spat half-heartedly, but she leaned into Emma's embrace despite herself. A soft sob escaped her; she was too tired to fight.

"If I didn't know you better," Emma said softly, "I'd say you were afraid."

"The Evil Queen? Afraid?" Regina laughed bitterly and sat up, shrugging Emma's arm from her shoulders and straightening an imaginary crease out of her skirt.

"Well, what then?" Emma prompted. She folded her hands in her lap, avoiding eye contact so as not to provoke her.

Regina tilted her head back and looked at Emma sideways.

"I don't know what happened last night," she admitted finally, "But perhaps it did frighten me. Just a little bit."

She leaned forward again with a deep sigh. Emma sat silently, waiting.

"I don't know how to explain the magic of last night, Emma. The... feelings it invoked in me," she said hesitantly, trying to find the right words, "I've never felt so lost, or so alone... The emptiness was terrifying, like something is missing inside me. Like I'll never be whole again."

She looked over at Emma, who now met and held her gaze. She was truly worried; Regina could see it in her eyes. Quickly, she made an attempt to lighten her tone, and shrugged with a smile. "Usually, when I'm feeling low, I think of Henry. He's my light in the dark."

Emma relaxed a little at that, smiling too. They shared a warm thought of their son, whom they'd both worked so hard to protect.

"But," Regina rubbed her palms against her thighs before rising to her feet, "Last night, thinking of Henry didn't work."

Emma watched her as she began to pace the room.

"I pictured Henry's face, his beautiful, beautiful smile... but I couldn't hold the image in my mind." Her distress began to seep through her voice, despite her best efforts to keep her tone level. "No matter what life throws at me, I can always, always, see Henry... But, last night, there was something else, something more powerful..." She stopped pacing and turned to face Emma, her turmoil finally evident upon her face. "It scared me, Emma - what could be more powerful than a mother's love for her son?"

"Oh, Regina," Emma whispered. She rose to her feet and crossed the space between them in three short strides to enveloped Regina in a hug. She met no resistance, and held her together until she could compose herself. "Nothing is more powerful than a mother's love for her son. I should know."

Regina sniffled and tried to pull back, but Emma stayed her with her hands on her shoulders.

"I couldn't hold him in my mind, Emma..." Regina whimpered, so quietly that Emma barely heard her, "There was something stronger than that in this room last night."

"Well, whatever it is, we'll figure it out." Emma pushed the words out with more assurance than she felt.

She'd never seen the usually unflappable Evil Queen this close to the edge of losing her resolve. Rage and fury were one thing, she'd seen Regina lose it like that before, more than once. But this... this was different. Terrifyingly so. She'd never seen the powerful woman look so broken and afraid, and it scared her. Regina was the one everyone turned to when the going really got tough. The one you could trust to show up with fire and brimstone when it counted. 

But she didn't look as though she could light a dry twig at the moment – even with the help of a match.

"Come on," Emma said at length. She gave Regina's shoulders a gentle shake, trying to spur them both to action. "Let's go get something at Granny's."

She wagered that getting out and about would help them both; it was certainly better than staying in a room that was beginning to feel oppressive.

When Regina didn't respond immediately, she added, "You can even stay with us for a few days, if you like..."

The comment had the desired effect. Regina's head snapped up and her eyes flashed. She pulled away with her customary sneer. "Granny's, fine. Camping with the Charmings...? I don't think so!"

She strode out of the room without a backward glance, and Emma, smiling wryly, followed the Evil Queen to Granny's.


	4. Chapter 4

Tucked into a corner booth at Granny's Diner with his family, Henry was making himself useful as a distraction for Regina. He was regaling her with a tale of one of his past adventures, and she smiled with affection as she watched him bring the story to life. Granny's was quiet this early in the morning, allowing Regina a peaceful moment of respite as she focused her full attention on her son. With a small sigh, she finally relaxed and let him draw her mind away from the events of the previous night. 

Across the table, Emma furtively sat in quiet conference with Mary-Margaret and David when Regina wasn't looking. She whispered a quick explanation as to why the Evil Queen looked so drawn and washed-out this morning, and the Charmings' faces were creased with concern as they listened. They whispered back a barrage of questions at Emma whilst pretending to be caught up in Henry's tale. Eventually, Regina noticed, and held up her hand to stop Henry mid-sentence. She arched her eyebrows in displeasure.

"Do you mind?" she interrupted. She leaned towards them with her elbow resting on the table, gesturing with a disdainful air. "Henry is telling quite the story over here, and it's rude to whisper amongst yourselves in company."

"See," Emma whispered quickly to her parents. Regina narrowed her eyes at her. "I told you, she's pretty much okay."

"Sorry, Regina," David said meekly, "Emma was just catching us up."

Before Regina could voice a scathing response, Henry broke in. "Catching you up on what?" He looked first to Emma, and then back to Regina. Regina turned to him, and her irritable expression quickly faded into one suffused with genuine warmth.

"Nothing for you to worry about," she smiled. She cupped his cheek softly as though to quiet him, but he pulled away.

"I'm too old for that to work anymore, Mom," he said, rolling his eyes, "Come on, what's going on?"

Regina met his determined gaze, and the corner of her mouth curved affectionately. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, to make her understand he wouldn't take anything less than the truth as an answer.

"Mom..." he prompted. He leaned forward, looking at her meaningfully from under raised brows.

Regina smiled, relenting. "All right, Henry, here's the deal. I-"

She broke off abruptly, her attention swivelling to something over Henry's head, something outside, beyond the window. She froze, mouth open in consternation though no words graced her lips. Her brow furrowed deeply above her riveted stare. Alarmed, Emma spun in her seat to follow her gaze out toward the street.

There, across the expanse of tar outside the diner, stood a woman, looking inexorably regal in a blood-red gown shot through with silver threads.

An unknown, out-of-place Queen, standing nonchalantly in the middle of Storybrooke. 

Her night-dark hair, crowned with a delicate silver tiara, cascaded in loose waves down her back. It shimmered with hints of starlight as the breeze toyed with it. A stray strand caressed one delicate alabaster cheek, and she tucked it behind her ear before refolding her hands neatly in front of her. Her measured, unfaltering gaze was as chilling as a lioness' as she stared at them. Or more specifically, at Regina.

"Who the hell is that?" Emma swung back to Regina, whose facial expression was flashing through an outward barrage of conflicting emotions at lightning speed.

"Same – magic," she managed at last, frozen to the spot and unable to escape the gaze of the stranger. Her knuckles were turning white under her grip on the edge of her seat.

"Stay here!" Emma cried, leaping to her feet and running for the exit. 

She flung the door open and leaped down the steps, gun drawn. As the door crashed shut behind her, the woman snapped her gaze away from the object of her intense appraisal. She cast such a contemptuous look in Emma's direction that it stopped her in her tracks. Before the Sheriff could gather herself to take another step, the woman lazily swung the train of her dress around her and disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

Inside, Regina, released from the bind, slumped back in her seat. She gasped for breath, clutching at her hammering heart.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, gripping her shoulder tightly in fright, "Are you okay? Who was that?"

She tipped her head back against the chair and tried to take a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, before focusing her attention once more on Henry.

"I'm fine," she said weakly, still gasping as though her lungs were being crushed, "But I have no idea who that was."

"Regina!" Emma swept back into Granny's and rushed to her side. "She's gone! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Regina repeated more forcefully, striving to convince herself as much as anyone else.

She sat upright with an effort.

"Just caught me off guard, that's all," she said grimly. Secretly, she wondered how on earth that could even have happened - again.

Her breath began to flow more evenly, and she felt the first tinge of true ire at seeing the embodiment of the threat standing nonchalantly on the pavement. She was aggravated at being taken repeatedly by surprise in such a short space of time – something that was alien to her usually well-prepared and vigilant nature. 

The woman's insolence in showing her face so brazenly whilst toying with Regina's emotions brought a sudden surge of the darkness inside her. Henry, his hand still on Regina's shoulder, gave her a gentle, apprehensive squeeze, as though sensing the awakening storm beneath her deceptively calm exterior.

With an effort, she caught his gaze with her own, and her love for him abruptly reared up inside her. The darkness paused. Using her affection for Henry as a weapon, she fought against the curling malice, grasping desperately at control. She focused all of her attention on her son, striving for his sake to crush the dogged awakening of her dark side. 

Henry believed in her, believed that her heart held the capacity for good. It was for his sake that she had cowed the darkness of the Evil Queen in the first place. She'd come so far; she'd tried so hard to move away from her malevolent nature. She couldn't relapse now. She willed the light in her to be stronger as she stared into his innocent eyes. She reminded herself that Emma should deal with the stranger; it was her duty as the Sheriff. 

Besides, Regina's days of raining unrepentant punishment upon those who irked her were over.

But, the newly reawakened malevolence refused to coil back into its cage. Despite her best efforts, her son's faced blurred before her. Her vision turned inward, despite Henry saying her name aloud. She didn't even hear his voice, and her face settled into a vengeful mask. She held up her hand and clawed it slowly into a fist, feeling her magic brooding there. A picture of the Red Queen burned fiercely in her head, driving away all else. 

The stranger stood out in sharp relief in her mind - all gleaming red dress and mocking grey eyes. The ridiculous cause of Regina's sleepless night and crippling bouts of fear. As she pictured her, mortal and breathing, Regina felt the snap of Fear's collar as it fell away from her, and the synonymous flood of dark rage as it did so. 

Nothing more than a foolish witch, with the audacity to challenge the Evil Queen.

"Well," she said to no one in particular, "We'll just see about that, dear." 

Abandoning all hope of goodness, she gave in to her true nature. She opened her fist slowly, her fingers humming with power. A cold, dark fury stole into her features. Henry sat back apprehensively, his hand falling uncertainly away from its grip on her shoulder. Regina didn't notice.

"Uh-oh," Emma said under her breath.

Without another word, the Evil Queen surged to her feet. Her eyes were hard, her mouth set in a grim line, and she swept around the table towards the door as if she'd forgotten everyone else was there.

"Regina, wait! Where are you going?" Emma called after her, half-rising to follow, but not quite sure she was brave enough.

"To my Vault," she threw back over her shoulder, "No one threatens me and gets away with it!"

The look she flashed Emma was violent enough to make her sink back into her seat. 

Regina abruptly exited the building, and the door slammed decisively shut behind her. Her deadly stiletto heels clicked ominously against the tarmac as she marched away, and she fairly crackled with fury. Passing cars screeched to a halt to avoid her, and unfortunate pedestrians were quick to leap out of her way as she stormed down the street. She hardly noticed; her entire being was caught up with her singular mission.

As she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Emma exchanged a helpless glance with her parents.

"Wow," Henry whispered haltingly into the silence. His face was pallid. "Mom's gone straight back to the dark side."

"You think?" Emma responded, "C'mon, kid, we'd better go find Gold. He knows something, I'm sure of it."


	5. Chapter 5

The small bell above the door tinkled brightly as Emma swept into Gold's shop with her family in tow. From behind the glass-topped counter, Belle looked up in friendly surprise.

"Emma!" she beamed, holding her arms out in welcome.

"Where's Gold?" Emma jumped straight to the point. "Something is happening to Regina."

"Nice to see you too," Belle said lightly, rolling her eyes as she turned to look for him, "He's around here, somewhere..."

"And what, exactly, can I possibly do for you?" 

Gold's smooth voice echoed out from the bowels of the shop. A moment later, he stepped into view. He planted his feet firmly on either side of his cane, and rested his hands loosely atop it.

Oblivious to his standoffish nature, Henry was quick to step forward. "We need your help, Grandpa! Something bad is happening to my mom – she's gone full Evil Queen!"

Gold's lip twitched, but his face otherwise remained impassive. Standing nearby, Mary-Margaret cleared her throat, and Gold's eyes flickered in her direction.

"In her current state, she might blow up half of Storybrooke," she said primly, folding her arms.

"Snow!" David burst out, taken aback by her abruptness.

"What?" Mary-Margaret raised her hands in defence, "I'm just saying! Last time I saw her this angry, she set fire to half a Kingdom!"

David looked like he was going to argue, but instead made a small noise of agreement and inclined his head. He looked around apologetically.

"Great," Emma said sarcastically, "Just what we need."

She turned to Gold.

"Will you help us?" she pressed.

"And why would I do that?" he inquired.

"Do you fancy being incinerated?" Emma asked drily.

"Please, Grandpa!" Henry implored, "I'm really worried about my mom!"

"And so you should be, Henry," Gold said, serious at last. He crouched down behind his cane to be at eye level with his grandson. "Your mother is in a whole world of trouble."

"What do you mean?" Emma demanded, standing behind Henry with her hands protectively on his shoulders.

"It appears, dearie," Gold said, looking up at her with an expression much like a cat with a mouse, "That Regina has finally met her match."

The hairs on the back of Emma's neck rose at the implication of Gold's words.

"What do you mean?" Henry pleaded, "Grandpa, how do we help her? We have to help her!"

"You can't," Gold stated with finality, standing tall once more, "This battle is for her, and her alone. All you can do – all of you – is stay out of the way."

"That's it?" David said sceptically, "That's all you're going to say?"

"That's all there is to say," Gold replied, fixing him with a firm glare.

"You know something more," Emma retorted, refusing to let him off that easily, "You were there this morning, in her room. You found the hair, and then you left. You must know who this Red Queen is!"

"Red Queen?" Gold's eyebrows disappeared under his bangs in genuine surprise, "Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Emma insisted, slamming her fist against the top of the nearest counter, "Who is the Red Queen?"

"I've no idea, dearie," Gold said softly, scowling at her mistreatment of his property, "But I can't wait to find out."

Puffing sharply through her nose in irritation, Emma let it go. She got the impression that he was telling the truth, but she was none too pleased with the realisation. Gold smiled at his victory that her silence implied.

"Take my advice, dearie," he continued, raising one long finger up from his cane in warning, "Stay out of the way. Regina's a big girl; she can handle herself. Besides, there's nothing you can do – this is personal."

"Why?" Emma took the bait despite herself, "What did Regina do to this woman?"

"Why, nothing..." Gold said, and grinned like a Cheshire Cat, "...Yet."

"We really can't help her?" Henry interrupted, frustrated by the exchange, "But will she be okay?"

"That's up to her, dearie," Gold frowned down at him, "But I will tell you one last thing – my money is on Regina. Don't worry yourself, Henry, this is a necessary evil."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Emma jumped in again, goaded once more, "Enough riddles, Rumplestiltskin, give us a straight answer!"

Gold regarded her coolly for a moment. He regarded them each in turn.

"In short order, everything will make sense," he stated in a tone that brooked no further argument, "I believe this is a test, and no one may pass it but Regina - on her own, unhindered. If you attempt to help her, she will be unable to help herself. I'm telling you, keep out of the way."

Emma glared at him, fuming. She knew better than to disregard Gold's advice, but she didn't like it one bit.

"We can't just abandon her to this – this woman!" Mary-Margaret exclaimed, "Who knows what she's capable of!"

Gold turned his pitiless gaze on her and raised his eyebrows. She quailed.

"May I remind you, Snow White," he growled softly, "What your meddling in Regina's affairs has achieved in the past?"

Mary-Margaret fell silent, abashed, and Gold studied them each in turn once more.

"That is all I have to say on the matter," he reiterated curtly, "Now, unless you're buying something, get out of my shop."


	6. Chapter 6

Regina pressed her fingertips against the small of her back as she paced the length of her Vault. Magic crackled around her, sparking as dangerously as a livewire. She was fuming, furious, seething, enraged; she was so incensed that the dictionary didn't have enough words for her to describe her current state of mind. The knowledge that a mere, tangible person had managed to move her to helpless fear had ignited her. A vengeful firestorm brewed inside, desperate for release.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Regina spat. She paused in her pacing to hurl a fireball at the already blackened wall.

"How dare she push her magic at me! I am the Evil Queen!" She hurled another fireball, more furiously than the last.

"No one pushes their magic at me, and gets away with it!"

Another fireball roared to life at her fingertips, but abruptly fizzled out as a serene voice unexpectedly interrupted her rantings.

"It wasn't my magic. It was yours."

Regina whirled to face the source with a new fireball instantly raised high above her head.

The Red Queen reclined nonchalantly in an armchair, watching her with mild interest. One leg was hooked casually over the side of the chair, its outline just visible beneath the silky sweep of her long red dress.

"You!" Regina's rage howled forth at the sight of her, "How dare you! I will destroy you!"

Intoxicated by fury, she flung her fireball at the Red Queen without a shadow of hesitation. It sizzled through the air, whining with the force of its velocity, and hit her squarely in the chest. The Red Queen's eyes flared open in surprise as it exploded into a whorl of flame and engulfed her entirely in an instant, and Regina's hungry, vengeful smile grew wide at the sight. 

After an intense moment, the flames died down to a quiet crackle, and then the Red Queen gingerly rose out of the burning chair, looking down at it in disapproval.

"I liked that chair."

Regina gasped, her face draining of colour as she reeled back against the far wall. "It's not possible..."

"Of course it's possible," the Red Queen disagreed. She planted her hands on her hips with a pout and gazed down at the smouldering furnishing. "You don't know my tastes - I really did like that chair!"

Regina didn't hear her. "You should be... You can't be... No one could have survived that!" Her fury dissipated as fast as it had earlier arrived, to be replaced only by the first icy shiver of true fear.

The Red Queen turned to look at her, raising delicate eyebrows. Without warning, she swept across the room in one smooth motion. In an instant, her face was mere inches away from Regina's, and Regina tried her best to surreptitiously melt into the wall.

"I'll tell you a little secret," the Red Queen whispered conspiratorially. She tapped her lip thoughtfully, and then traced the tip of her pale, cool finger curiously down Regina's cheek, as though taking her measure. "You can't destroy me. If you did, you'd destroy yourself."

Regina inadvertently turned her head away from that cool, unnerving touch, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid the Red Queen's uncanny moonlight gaze. She was cornered, she was in trouble, and there was nothing her magic could do. Luckily, her stubborn pride came to the rescue, rising up to push aside her helplessness. She would not be cowed by this upstart. She reached deep inside herself for her resolve, lifted her arm like lightning, and backhanded her assailant across the face. 

The Red Queen staggered back in surprise, pressing a delicate palm to the sting in her cheek. Regina unplastered herself from the wall and drew herself up to her full height, pulling her wrath about her like a suit of armour.

"My magic may not be able to hurt you," she growled, balling her hands tightly, "But my fists certainly can!"

The shocked Red Queen stared at her for a long moment, then unexpectedly burst into laughter.

"Oh, Regina," she said breathlessly, eyes wet with mirth, "You certainly are just what I expected."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Regina hissed, letting the question feed her renewed fury as she took a threatening step forward. Her voice dripped with malice, and her fisted knuckles began to turn white.

"Relax, dear," the Red Queen said airily. She ignited a blue-and-white fireball in her palm and spun it playfully on one finger. "All in good time."

Regina ground her teeth in vexation, but stepped back towards the wall again. Despite her wrath urging her onward, she knew she was at a distinct disadvantage. It was obvious that her magic couldn't hurt the Red Queen, but there was no reason why it wouldn't work the other way around. The Red Queen studied her face for a long moment, toying with her fireball as she gauged the play of conflicting emotions in her countenance. Finally, her expression softened from mirth to understanding.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Regina," she said softly, as though reading her mind, "My magic cannot hurt you, either."

Quick as a flash, she hurled the fireball at Regina, who cried out in surprise but had no time to react. The flames burst over her in a rush, crackling angrily across her body. Regina covered her face with her hands in horror as the fire flared bright and hot, but the flames soon burned themselves out. She opened her eyes just a crack as the inferno subsided, panting with dread as she risked a peek at the damage. Astonished, she found herself unscathed. 

Her knees went weak, and she felt behind her for the solidness of the wall to keep her upright, sinking back against it once more.

"See?" the Red Queen said, looking at her curiously.

Regina simply stared at her, breathing hard, unable to find anything to say in response. The Red Queen smiled, and then, without seeming to move, abruptly closed the distance between them as swiftly as a falcon. She trapped Regina against the wall with her proximity, and, appraising her intently, reached out to tuck a loose strand of dark hair behind the Evil Queen's ear. 

Her expression was unreadable. 

She traced her cool fingers slowly along Regina's jawline and lightly cupped her chin, tilting her face up to force her to meet her raptor gaze. Regina held her breath and stood frozen, hands pinned against the wall behind her, now truly helpless. She found herself staring directly into those unfathomable eyes with her heart in her mouth, not daring to move an inch for fear of what the Red Queen might do next. She suddenly had the thought that she knew exactly how a mouse might feel staring into the eyes of a hawk. She was pinned to the spot by that indescribable gaze, and had no choice left but to accept with cold dread that she was beaten.

Her head started to swim under the intensity of the other's gaze, but she couldn't coax her will to break eye contact and try to escape. It was as though the Red Queen's eyes saw directly through her, into the depths of her very soul; mesmerising her. Unexpectedly, the hook behind her ribcage constricted sharply, harsher than ever before, and she gasped with surprise at the real pain it wrought this time. As she did so, she noticed the subtle mirror effect on the Red Queen, who caught her own breath soundlessly and furrowed her brow in discomfort - almost as though she bore a hook of her own in sympathy. 

The Red Queen blinked once, appearing to regather her composure, and Regina watched her dark lashes flutter, down and up again, as though in slow motion. Regina tried to force herself to breathe, feeling as though she might be torn apart by the pressure inside her chest, and then the Red Queen captured her gaze again, something inexplicable in the depths of her eyes.

The hook tightened ominously, and Regina yelped softly, fighting for breath, back arched against the tautness of the invisible string laced through her heart. She wondered how long it would take the inexplicable magic to crush the life out of her, and what the Red Queen hoped to gain from it. 

She held onto the fact that whatever the sinister magic was, it was affecting her adversary too; she could see it in the tight lines of her face. 

Some curses were like that, she knew. Magic always came at a price, and, observing the twitch of her enemy's brow, Regina hoped the price hurt. Her head spun in agony and her breath came in shallow gasps, but although she leaned as far back against the wall as she could, she refused to drop the gaze of the Red Queen. 

She at least wanted the small satisfaction of seeing it hurt her, too.

"The more you fight it, the more it hurts," the Red Queen whispered with teeth gritted against the pressure, as though it were Regina's fault. 

Regina noted her reproachful tone. Despite the crushing power, she managed a breathless laugh at the insinuation that this magic – the magic that was killing her – might be her own doing. How preposterous! If Regina had the faintest idea of how to use it - to fight it, to stop it - she wouldn't hesitate an instant. The pain was becoming blinding. 

The slightest frown drew down the Red Queen's brow at Regina's reaction. Panting almost inaudibly, she leaned fractionally away from her quarry, as though trying to escape the pressure. Regina cried out; the raw power inside her seethed at the increase in distance between them. 

Instinctively, she leaned forward to close the gap. To lessen the furious agony.

Just when it seemed like the power's tearing claws might sever Regina's soul in two, the Red Queen sent a lightning glance heavenward in mute appeal. Fleet as a diving hawk, she ducked down and kissed the woman in front of her. 

At the meeting of their lips, the power ceased abruptly. Ears ringing at the sudden absence of the silent roar, Regina's eyes flew wide in surprise at the very last thing she would have expected from any adversary. 

But she didn't pull away. She couldn't. Instead, her eyelashes fluttered closed, and she let the other's lips part her own, powerless to resist after the barrage of magic. The timorous kiss was soft and fleeting, but it set her lifeblood aflame.

And then, the Red Queen was gone. 

Fading wisps of red smoke and the scent of honeysuckle and apple-blossom were all that remained in the room. Suddenly alone, Regina dropped forward from the wall onto her hands and knees. Breathing hard, she reached up and pressed two shaking fingers to her lips, feeling the whisper of the Red Queen's power there. 

She stayed where she was for a long moment, trying to make sense of what had happened; trying to regain her strength, and still her thundering heart. At length, she knelt upright and took a deep, shuddering breath. She could still feel the ghost of the Red Queen's fingertips where they had cupped her face for those long, helpless moments. 

The memory made her shake with trepidation. 

She felt torn up inside. The raw, inexplicable power that had savaged her heart and soul had left its mark. Carefully, she sat back against the wall with her hands resting limply at her sides. Her mind was a muddle of fear and uncertainty. Her rage had long since abandoned her, and she had no idea what to make of it all, nor what to do next. 

For the first time in her life, she felt utterly defenceless.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina sat despondently at the kitchen table of her home, gazing fixedly into nothing. She ached all over, and was disappointed in herself for letting the Evil Queen take over once more. It had been to no avail, anyway... She'd battled, and she'd lost. Maybe if she'd approached the situation as a Hero, instead of a Villain, she would have triumphed... She blew sharply through her nose in exhausted frustration. When would she ever learn?

An insistent hammering stirred Regina out of her depression. She listened for a moment, hoping whoever it was would simply go away. But the knock at the door came again, more aggressively, along with Emma's voice. 

"Regina? Regina, open up!"

Regina forced herself to her weary feet with a soft groan. There was no chance Emma would leave just because she didn't answer the door. The woman was stubborn like that.

"Regina? I'm serious! Open this door right now!"

Emma paused mid-strike as she heard soft footfalls on the other side of the door. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting. The latch clicked, and the door began to swing open.

"What do you want?" Regina spoke softly. She held the door half open, barring the way inside.

Emma's scathing comment died in her throat at the sight of her. 

Blue bruises under Regina's eyes stood out in sharp relief against her pallid face, and her gaze was halting. She looked utterly shattered, a faint shadow of her former self.

"Uh, can I come in?" Emma said, instead of her original furious comment.

"I'm in no mood, Miss Swan," Regina replied. But she shook her head helplessly and let the door swing open. She turned and walked away toward the kitchen, leaving it up to Emma to follow, or not.

Emma strode after her, taking in her dishevelled appearance with growing alarm. She was still wearing the same attire she'd had on at Granny's two days ago, now creased and rumpled, and though she hadn't removed her stockings, her formidable heels were conspicuously absent. Emma couldn't recall if she'd ever seen Regina barefoot before.

In the kitchen, Regina sat down heavily at the kitchen table, and cradled her unkempt head in her hands. Emma put the kettle on and scraped back another chair opposite her.

"You look like hell," she said, "Where on earth have you been? No one has seen you for two days."

"Has it been two days?" Regina glanced up in confusion.

"Yes, Regina," Emma said with gentle firmness, "Two days. Where have you been?"

"I... I was – in my Vault," Regina replied. Her voice was distracted, vague.

"For two days?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently," Regina sighed. She pushed her hair back out of her eyes and met Emma's gaze at last. "I honestly couldn't have said it was two days... It felt like a moment - it felt like a lifetime."

The kettle boiled up loudly and switched itself off, and Emma got up to make tea. She swirled cream and sugar into each cup, letting Regina's brew a little longer than usual. She looked like she needed it strong.

Emma returned shortly with the tea, set the two cups down, and resumed her seat. "Regina, two days ago, you stormed out of Granny's like the Angel of Vengeance. Today you show up looking like the Angel of Death. You want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," Regina answered absently. She folded her hands in her lap, leaving her tea untouched. "It's... complicated."

"Did you find a way to beat this Red Queen?" Emma prompted, sipping at her tea.

"Not exactly..."

Emma let the silence drag out until Regina looked at her again. She inclined her head ever-so-slightly with one eyebrow raised in a question mark, making it evident that she would wait all day for an explanation, if necessary. With a sigh, Regina reached for her tea. She cupped both hands around its warmth and took her first sip.

"I don't take sugar," she commented, but she drank it regardless.

"You look like you need it," Emma smiled gently, "Come on, Regina, what happened? We're all worried about you - Henry most of all."

At the mention of their son, Regina's eyes lit with the first spark of life Emma had yet seen.

"Where is Henry?" Regina asked, looking around her as though he might suddenly materialize out of thin air.

"He's with Snow and Charming," Emma replied, "I didn't want to bring him until I'd made sure you were okay."

Regina nodded her silent acceptance and dropped her gaze back to her tea, but she looked past it as though it wasn't there. When it seemed apparent that she wasn't going to say anything else, Emma tried again.

"We went to see Gold," she mentioned, "After you left Granny's."

Regina continued to stare into her teacup as though she hadn't heard.

"We told him about the Red Queen, but he only said that we had to stay out of the way," Emma pressed on, "He said that we couldn't help you, even if we wanted to."

Regina looked up from her tea at last. She met Emma's gaze with a strange expression. "She... tried to kill me." 

She appeared lost and confused, and Emma chose her next words carefully to avoid accidentally send her retreating back into her emotionless void. "Regina, you're safe now. We all want to help you – just tell us how?"

She reached across the table to squeeze Regina's arm reassuringly.

"You can't help me," Regina said, pulling away. Her voice was devoid of expression. "I can't tell you how to help me, Miss Swan, because you can't. No one can. This battle is mine, and mine alone."

Emma sighed with a rising feeling of foreboding. "That's exactly what Gold said. But you can still talk to me, right?"

Regina drained her tea and stood up. She supported herself with one hand on the table as she listed slightly with exhaustion. "I could," she said in answer to Emma's question, "If I had any idea what to say. Thank you for making the tea, but please, I'd like you to leave. I'm so tired, and all I want to do is sleep."

If Emma was surprised at receiving the politest banishment she'd ever had from Regina's home, she didn't show it. Instead, she nodded and carried both empty cups to the sink. Regina watched her through a fog of fatigue, as though she were a mirage.

Emma made her way to the door, but paused and turned back before she walked out. "Don't go after her," she cautioned, meaning it.

"Do I look like I'm in any state to do such a stupid thing?" Regina managed to respond.

"You'll call me?" Emma smiled gently at her attempted frostiness.

When Regina wearily nodded her assent, Emma took the last few steps out the door and closed it quietly behind her. She sucked in a deep, worried breath at the image of Regina standing forlornly in the kitchen, unnerved by how fragile she appeared. Emma turned away from the house with her hands thrust deeply into her jacket pockets, thinking about what Gold had said about this being a 'test' for Regina.

She considered that fact that Regina had briefly fled back into the safety of her dark side once again in the face of this Red Queen, and wondered if this proposed 'test' was a fight between good and evil inside her. Regina seemed as though she'd lost every last drop of her confidence and resolve over the last few months. The effort of pulling away from Evil was crushing her, and her brief relapse had left her obviously dishevelled and hurting.

Emma clung to the thought that perhaps this was the last phase of her battle; that if she triumphed over her dark side once more, maybe she'd finally get her Happy Ending. Emma certainly hoped so. If anyone deserved a Happy Ending, it was Regina. She'd been a Villain all her life, and Villains didn't get Happy Endings – everybody knew that, Regina included – so with the support of her friends and her son, she'd turned over a new leaf and been trying to live in the light of good for a long time now. And yet, Life still seemed to be sucker-punching her every time she turned around. 

Emma pursed her lips as she walked, frowning as a new thought occurred to her. Regina hadn't triumphed as the Evil Queen in the dark thrall of Evil, but neither did she seem to be succeeding as Regina Mills in the bright light of Good. Emma's pace slowed and her eyes darted back and forth, surprised at her own train of thought.

What if their supposition that Regina's good side needed to defeat her darkness was presumptuous? Was it possible that the two sides of Regina were not warring factions at all, but rather two halves of the same whole? After all, Regina had used her dark powers for good purposes on more than one occasion. They were a fundamental part of her. Emma sucked in her breath as the realisation dawned on her. 

Regina's so-far fruitless search for her Happy Ending wasn't because her dark side was defeating her good side - it was because she had split herself in two all her life. First, she'd avoided her inner goodness as the Evil Queen, and then, she'd rejected her dark side as Regina Mills. Emma stopped altogether as the implications settled heavily in her mind. 

Regina wasn't a Villain, but nor was she a Hero. Somehow - indefinably - she was both, and that was her whole problem. She was trying unsuccessfully to be one or the other. Emma half turned to retrace her steps and tell Regina what she'd ascertained, but she paused as Gold's words echoed menacingly in her head.

"If you attempt to help her, she will be unable to help herself."

She stood where she was for a long moment, undecided, but eventually allowed that Gold was probably right. This was the kind of revelation that Regina needed to figure out on her own for it to have the right impact on her life. Emma sighed, but then her resolve tightened with her following thought. If Regina's test was an inner battle for balance, then there was no reason why Emma couldn't get involved in dealing with the problem of the Red Queen. She was fairly sure that the stranger was merely a catalyst for Regina's journey of self-discovery, and nothing more. 

Her eyes sparked with her renewed determination to deal with the threat, and she abruptly strode out on her original path, away from Regina. The woman needed to rest, anyway, and Emma would tell her about her designs for the Red Queen tomorrow, when she had recovered. In the meantime, there were things to prepare. She swerved her course unerringly towards Gold's shop, eager to begin.


	8. Chapter 8

The Red Queen sat upon the windowsill, reclining against the side of the open window in the bright light of the waning moon. The protection spell was still there, but although she could feel it, it had no effect on her. 

Inside the room, faintly illuminated by the reflection of moonlight, Regina lay reposed in the depths of slumber. Her arms arced gracefully above her head, and her dark hair delicately fanned around her finely sculpted face. She looked peaceful, calm. Which was far more than the Red Queen could say for the last time she had seen her. She smiled wryly, remembering the sharp-edged rage of the now-sleeping woman. 

Regina was quite formidable, and the Red Queen considered for a moment how useful it was that their magics cancelled each other out - she'd have been dead within the first ten seconds of their meeting otherwise. Of course, she mused, that wasn't all that their magics could do. But, all in good time. She was glad that Regina had come home at last. The previous two days had been difficult, disquieting, and she felt bad for causing her such turmoil. She hadn't meant to kiss her, and especially not like that. It was just that, there, in her presence, and so close to her, the pull had become overwhelming. 

And there was only one way to stave off that much insistent power.

Regina had felt it too, there was no question of that. The difference was that the Red Queen knew what it was, and Regina did not, and so it had nearly torn her apart. And the Red Queen too, as collateral damage. To not understand a pull of that magnitude had to be terrifying - small wonder that Regina was losing sleep over it. 

The Red Queen sighed, considering. She would have to be more careful, far more reserved. She resolved to keep her distance as best she could, and let Regina pick out her own path. It was not for her to choose the Evil Queen's destiny for her. Some happy endings had to be fought for, after all. Still, she would be nearby when the time came, for she knew without doubt that something was coming. She also knew with absolute certainty that if she wasn't there when it did, Regina was lost, and that couldn't be allowed to happen. 

With a heartfelt sigh, she tore her gaze away from Regina's beautiful face and turned her eyes to the moon instead.

"Mother," she whispered to the bright orb in the sky, "I ask you for the strength to do this right, and to succeed at all costs."

She breathed deeply, inhaling the sweetness of the night air, and then turned her attention to the protection spell laced around the window. She reached for it, felt its power, and added another layer of her own. It might not keep her out, but nothing else would get through. She hopped up to the outer edge of the sill like a cat, balancing on the balls of her feet as the silken train of her dress fanned out behind her. She reached in and tugged the curtains closed, so that the morning light might not wake Regina prematurely. 

Satisfied, she took one last glance at the moon, and caught the ghost of her mother's smile upon the mirror of its face. Echoing the smile to herself, she launched herself off the window and into the darkness. 

She was gone in silence, and Regina, oblivious, turned over in her sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina roused slowly out of a deep and dreamless sleep. She stretched languidly, turning her head to blink sleepily at the clock. 

10:46am it proclaimed.

Odd, she thought. The room was very dim if it was that hour of the morning.

She turned her head the other way and realised that the thick curtains were tightly drawn. Exhausted as she had been after her ordeal, she couldn't remember closing them, but was grateful that the sunshine hadn't had the chance to wake her. She was stiff from sleeping so soundly, and sat up leisurely with an indulgent yawn. She felt better - much better - than she had yesterday, and her lips curved into a smile as she counted approximate hours of sleep in her head. Eighteen hours, more or less. That'll do.

Feeling refreshed and ready to face her problems, she slipped out of bed and padded to the window. She pulled the drapes open to let in the daylight, but, immediately, her spine stiffened and her nostrils flared. It hadn't been her that closed the curtains, after all. The tell-tale scent of honeysuckle and apple-blossom filled her nose, and she ran a finger along the edge of the windowsill, feeling the protection spell with yet another layer of bristling power added. 

At least, now, she knew what it was. Or rather, who it was. 

The Red Queen. 

Still, after hurling fireballs at each other in her Vault the other day, she thought adding an extra layer of protection an odd thing to do. And she still couldn't figure out how the woman had done it. She'd never heard of someone under-laying extra tiers to a spell that had already been cast. Doing it together was one thing, or casting more than one spell over another, but to embed layers within a spell that was already created...? 

She shook her head in bemusement and made for the shower. In the bathroom, she finally realised that she was still wearing the same clothes she had gone to Granny's in days ago, and wrinkled her nose in distaste as she quickly peeled them off. The hot water soon streamed over her, washing away the stiffness that teased at her muscles, and she took her time beneath the powerful torrent as her thoughts drifted back to her encounter with the Red Queen.

The nil effects of their respective magics had been startling, and Regina stifled a shudder as she recalled the horrid sensation of being hit with a fireball. Even though it hadn't harmed so much as a hair on her head, it had still scared the wits out of her. And then, there was the matter of the rest of their encounter... 

She could still feel the after-effects of that unknown, frighteningly powerful magic that had nearly torn her apart. Despite the steaming hot water, her blood ran cold at the mere memory of it. She was relatively sure that she'd almost lost her life that fateful morning in her Vault, which incidentally was supposed to be her 'safe place'. The thought did not sit well with her. 

She mulled it over. How did a screaming fireball flung straight at her heart have no effect whatsoever? And yet, an invisible, unfathomable magic almost tore her in two from the inside out? Nothing in her vast repertoire of spells and enchantments even hinted at anything of that nature being possible... And if the Red Queen's magic in the form of a fireball hadn't so much as singed her exterior, how had the same magic affected her from within her core? Regina didn't think it was possible to fake a fireball, so the two things together didn't make sense.

"It wasn't my magic. It was yours... My magic cannot harm you."

The Red Queen's words echoed melodiously in her mind. Regina replayed them a couple of times, trying to fit them into the puzzle. The Red Queen seemed to have proved the latter statement with her fireball stunt, but what did she mean by the former? Certainly, Regina didn't recall cursing herself, and her magic definitely did not attack its wielder of its own accord.

With a sigh of frustration, she turned off the shower and towelled herself dry. Still deep in thought, she dressed without really noticing what she took out of the closet, and then meandered out of her bedroom and down the staircase with the intent of putting the kettle on. In the hall, she paused as she passed by one of her many mirrors and caught sight of her reflection. Her subconscious appeared to be back in working order, for her lack of conscious attention to her wardrobe had not affected her – she looked incredibly chic and stylish this morning. 

She smiled at her reflection, glad to see her usual self smile back. She noted that the blue bruises under her eyes had faded to nothing, and that her still slightly damp hair had arranged itself artfully around her face once more. Her skin had returned to its usual healthy glow. Satisfied, she stole a moment of simple pleasure in fluffing her silky dark tresses, knowing that they would soon dry fully into a manicured style that required no effort on her part – one of the many benefits of being a sorceress.

On the other hand, and her reflection took on a dark scowl as it mirrored her emotions, being a sorceress apparently came with its share of deadly downfalls too. With a sigh, she turned away and completed her voyage to the kitchen, setting the kettle to boil and then raiding the fruit bowl for something to quiet her complaining stomach. When she'd made her tea, she sat at the kitchen table with an apple in hand, munching on it thoughtfully. The rich colour of it caught her eye and she paused with it halfway to her lips. Red apples had always been her favourite - a trademark of hers. She stared absently at it for a moment, and then, of its own accord, her mind made the connection between the deep red of the apple and colour of the silken dress worn by the Red Queen. 

They matched. Exactly.

"Huh," she said, out loud. 

She twisted the apple to and fro in front of her, watching as it caught the light with hints of silver reflection, exactly as the Red Queen's dress had done. 

Her appetite evaporated, and she cast it aside. 

She turned to her tea instead, cupping her fingers around the warmth of the cup. She twined her legs together comfortably and thought back to the dilemma at hand.

"It wasn't my magic. It was yours."

The words meandered across her mind, but their meaning eluded her. She remembered again the moment the Red Queen had interrupted her ranting, saw in her mind's eye the woman reclining on the armchair without a care in the world. Regina shook her head wryly, and a small smile graced the corner of her lips. It was audacious to a fault - the kind of entrance that Regina herself would have used if she'd been in the other's shoes. She couldn't help but admire her sense of theatrics. 

Her thoughts wandered to the fireball she'd thrown, and why it hadn't affected the Red Queen in the slightest. It had certainly demolished the chair, which sat smouldering long after the Red Queen had abandoned it. That had never happened before - Regina's magic had never failed to incinerate someone she had been so deeply intent on destroying. 

And yet, it had failed. 

A shield, perhaps? Regina sipped at her tea thoughtfully. But then, she hadn't had time to even think about a shield when the Red Queen had returned the favour in kind. She'd felt that blue-and-white fireball hit her squarely in the chest, endured its heat, heard its power... She should have been obliterated by that much force, but the magic hadn't so much as scorched her clothes. 

She set down her teacup and rubbed her temples with delicate fingers. None of it made much sense, and it was starting to give her a headache.

She fast-forwarded the memories in her mind, stopping at the point where the hook-sensation had gouged through her core once more. She'd been trapped against the wall... the Red Queen's gaze searing into her soul from those implausible moonlight eyes. 

What was it? What had set it off? 

She'd previously thought that the unknown power had something to do with the moonlight, but the Vault was underground, so there went that theory. Perhaps it was fear that ignited it? She'd been very afraid at that moment, much as she winced at admitting it to herself. She snorted with derision at a mental bird's eye view of the Evil Queen, cowering against the wall at the mercy of some glamourous upstart. 

Thank God no one else had been around to see it. 

But she remembered again the feeling of near evisceration that had accompanied that moment - her panic as she attempted to force air back into her lungs - and forgave herself for being afraid. Those were extenuating circumstances... 

And then - her thoughts moved forward indignantly - and then... 

... Just when she'd thought she couldn't survive through another heartbeat of it, the Red Queen had swooped down and kissed her.

She'd never in her life been kissed by someone she had so shortly before been trying to kill. Not to mention that she had never been kissed by another woman, either. It was the most inexplicable tactic she'd ever come across, and if the Red Queen had meant to unnerve her completely, she'd succeeded. It was evil, even by Regina's standards, and she'd had a hand in some nefarious deeds in the past that made her wince in retrospect. 

The moment replayed in her mind with incredible precision, almost as though she was looking at the Red Queen before her once more. This time - without the savagery of the magic tearing her up within - her vision was far clearer than it had been the first time round.

She remembered the Red Queen's splendid, milk-pale face in perfect detail - every lash, every contour; the furrow of her brow betraying that she felt the devastating magic too. Regina watched in her mind's eye as the Red Queen drew back infinitesimally, saw herself cry out at the surge of the objecting magic. 

She paused the mental picture, as only a sorceress can, and examined the frame more carefully. 

There was a glow, very faint, but just tangible, that breached the gap between them. It linked them, inexorably, together. At the time, nearly out of her mind with pain and fear, Regina hadn't noticed, but she knew that her memory was correct. Her subconscious was simply providing the details now that her conscious mind had missed at the time. 

Now, what the hell is that? 

She studied the link. It seemed to snare them both, and Regina played her memory forward in slow motion, watching the glow brighten violently as the distance separating them increased. As the glowing strand snapped aggressively between them, she noted the agony on her own face and the mirrored expression on that of the Red Queen.

"It really wasn't her magic!" Regina whispered out loud in sudden realisation. 

But it wasn't hers either - it was something else entirely, something that had entrapped them both. In the moment, consumed as she was by her panic and fear, she hadn't seen it. She'd naturally assumed that the source of the threat was the woman in front of her. 

She let the frame play forward slowly, watched the Red Queen flicker her gaze to the heavens as though in mute appeal. And then, there was the moment when the Red Queen had kissed her. 

Remembering it now from a far more detached perspective, Regina realised that it had been an act of desperation. The Red Queen had been equally ensnared, and had leapt upon a longshot for escape from the frightening magic.

Mind reeling with the implications, Regina sipped at her tea and found it was cold. Mechanically, she got up to brew a fresh cup, her mind still completely preoccupied. New questions arose - what was the power that had affected them both? Why had it affected them both? She stirred her tea and resumed her throne at the kitchen table, sipping at the now-hot beverage gingerly. 

Most intriguingly, why had the Red Queen kissed her? 

Regina replayed once more the instant before their lips met, when the Red Queen had thrown her gaze heavenward as though steeling herself. How had she known it would work? And work it had - Regina had to admit it. She watched the memory carefully, slowly running it through. There, the moment the Red Queen had kissed her, the fierce glow vanished. 

She saw the instantaneous relief on both their faces. She blushed as her memory replayed her reaction - she didn't pull away from the kiss immediately, but instead met the other's embrace, and she had no idea why. 

The Red Queen pulled back first, and without the previous fog of relief washing through her as she now watched impassively in reminiscence, Regina saw that her expression wasn't quite as unfathomable as she'd thought at the time. 

The Red Queen looked troubled - vulnerable - just for a fleeting instant. 

And then, she disappeared.

Regina set down her empty cup with a long, mystified sigh. She hadn't even realised that she'd finished her tea. She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands, weaving her fingers through her hair. If the situation didn't make any sense before, it made even less now. She decided that the magic that had torn her up inside really wasn't the Red Queen's doing, and that, in effect, the woman's incomprehensible reaction had probably saved her life. 

Actually, now that she thought about it, apart from the fireball (which hadn't had any effect), the Red Queen had made no real attempt to harm her. But the Evil Queen had been so enraptured with rage that she hadn't even stopped to think about it. True, the other had trespassed, but Regina had thrown the first punch, metaphorically speaking.

There appeared to be a lot more to this story than met the eye at first glance, and Regina felt her headache intensify as she tried to work it out. Absently, she wondered if a kiss from the Red Queen could fix that, too. Her mind's eye amiably furnished her with a precise impression of the full scarlet bloom of the Red Queen's soft lips, and she found herself biting her own at the memory. 

With a sharp intake of breath, she became aware of herself, of her thought train. She sat forcibly upright, resolutely banishing the vision from her mind.

What the hell is wrong with me? 

She felt a deep blush burn in her cheeks. The Red Queen's pale, beautiful face shimmered through her mind, her moonlight eyes seeming impossibly sad, but Regina reined in her thoughts. She stood up and busied herself with the mundane task of rinsing out her teacup. She forced her focus to the lesser of two impossible evils - the mystery of the perilous magic glow. She reasoned that the Red Queen probably knew more about it than she did, especially considering that she'd known how to rectify the problem. 

Regina put the clean teacup back in the cupboard with renewed resolve. Yes, her budding idea seemed like a logical first step in untangling the riddle. Now that she'd realised that the Red Queen wasn't necessarily malicious, she would simply find the woman and ask her about it. Her decision cleared her headache immediately, and she carefully schooled her mind to inconsequential thoughts of the constricting magical hook. She felt better for having a plan.

And even more so for lying to herself about why she wanted to see the Red Queen again.

First, though, she resolved to call Emma.

Before the Sheriff showed up at her house again and rained down hell for her lack of communication.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma found Regina at the docks. 

Clothed all in black, she stood on the pier at the edge of the water with her gloved hands tucked deep into her coat pockets. Her nose was buried in a thick red scarf, and her gaze wandered off out to sea. The sun dipped low at the edge of the horizon beyond, burnishing the ocean in swaths of orange and gold and silhouetting the Queen against its brilliance. 

Although the sunset was stunning, the breeze off the waves was stiff and cold, and Emma hunched her shoulders against the biting wind as she strode rapidly out to join Regina. She appraised the brunette intently as she drew closer, and was relieved to see that she looked back to her usual self. Self-assured and disdainful, she cut a foreboding figure standing statuesque at the edge of the sea. Emma had to fight down a wry smile at the distinct aloofness in her stance.

"You're late, Miss Swan," Regina remarked frostily when she was near enough.

"Sorry," Emma said, insincerely. She tried and failed to keep a tremor of amusement out of her voice as the Queen's greeting met her expectations.

"What's so funny?" Regina demanded, tossing her head irritably against the wind to resettle a wayward strand of hair that teased at her cheek.

"Nothing," Emma replied lightly, liberating her smile as she came to a halt beside her. She followed Regina's gaze out over the waves. "It's good to see you so... you. That's all."

Regina glanced at her sideways, the ghost of a smile quirking at her own lips. They stood together silently for a time, relaxed and easy in each other's company as they watched the sun sink down into the painted sea. As the dying day dimmed to twilight, Emma nudged Regina with her shoulder, an impish expression on her face, and Regina's smile finally broke free in all its dazzling glory. 

The Evil Queen was pleased to be alive and well and in the safe company of one of her dearest friends, even if she'd never admit it out loud. Emma knew it, and was content to see Regina pretending not to like her again.

Things might go back to normal after all.

"So," the Sheriff prompted, scuffing at the wooden planks underfoot with one booted toe, "Are you going to catch me up?"

"No," Regina replied, "I called you to meet me here because I enjoy standing out in the freezing wind being drenched by sea spray."

Emma laughed, and Regina fixed her with a rare, roguish grin. She linked an arm through Emma's, and they began to walk slowly towards the furthest end of the pier as the evening gathered around them. The lights along the pier winked on, and on the horizon, the sliver of the waning moon raised itself sleepily into the sky.

"I had an encounter with the Red Queen," Regina mentioned as they meandered.

"I gathered," Emma said, "You said she tried to kill you."

"Something certainly did," Regina replied thoughtfully. A delicate frown puckered her brow. "The woman really is a mystery to me."

"A dangerous one, by the sounds of things." Emma stopped and used the leverage of their linked arms to turn Regina to face her. "I'm really glad you're looking better, Regina."

"I am better, actually," Regina commented with an inward smile. 

Before she could stop them, her thoughts stole far away with a different woman than the one standing beside her.

Emma mistook her wayward expression for self-reflection, and smiled as she suspected that her earlier thoughts about Regina's Good/Evil dilemma might be right. She resolved not to say anything about her revelation regarding Regina's problem, however, and switched to the matter of more pressing concern.

"We have to do something about this witch," she said darkly, "She's already proven to be a danger to you, and you're one of the most powerful people in town. Everybody else doesn't stand a chance."

"What?" Regina's thoughts crashed back down from her daydream about the Red Queen as she made sense of what Emma had just said. "Wait, I don't think-"

But she didn't get the chance to tell Emma what she didn't think. A bolt of black lightning hit her unexpectedly from behind, knocking her reeling onto the pier. She slid dangerously close to the edge of the hungry sea, and Emma cried out her name in alarm, leaping to her side to pull her back from the covetous waves. She cradled Regina's dazed head onto her lap, shaking her shoulders desperately to stop her slipping into unconsciousness. When her attempt proved fruitless, she let her gaze dart fitfully about in search of their attacker. Her hands turned to ice as she picked out a dark shadow at the town-end of the pier, crouched menacingly in a hunting pose. She leaned over Regina in protective terror, unable to tear her eyes away from the monster.

The creature of darkness was massive, terrifying, and its slowly undulating form put Emma starkly in mind of a cat. A monstrously large, horrifyingly deformed cat - spawned straight out of the bowels of Hell. The shadowy fiend poised as though recharging, and then unleashed a second bolt of darkness. With a cry, Emma hunched low over Regina's unconscious form and threw up a shield of light magic around them. 

The bolt bounced off the bubble of light with an angry hiss, and the creature let out an unearthly scream of infuriation as its attack was thwarted. Emma looked up at the ghastly sound and watched with horror as the beast began to advance with measured strides, stalking its quarry.

Them.

It paused at each step to howl its displeasure and fire another bolt. The barrage continued with every shadowy tread, and Emma tried frantically to keep her shield intact. The effort was debilitating. Emma felt the force of every bolt that hit its mark reverberate right through her. The light shield began to crack imperceptibly, and still the beast kept coming. In desperation, she lifted a hand away from Regina's shoulders and fired her own bolt of light energy back at the hulking shadow. 

The creature dodged and the light bolt went wide. Emma caught sight of a flash of red behind the beast, but it advanced again without breaking stride before she could make out what she'd seen. Steeling herself against the drain on her power, Emma fired another bolt of light, crying out with the effort of holding the shield up at the same time. The creature dodged again, effortlessly, and this time Emma caught a fleeting full view of the Red Queen behind it. The beast obscured her vision almost immediately as it prowled forward undaunted, and it bared its spectral teeth with a roar as it closed the distance. 

With renewed effort, it launched another bolt of darkness, and Emma heard her shield crack around her like glass. One more hit like that, and she and Regina were doomed. 

Where in the hell was Gold? Emma wondered desperately. 

With the Red Queen at large, Emma had covertly asked him to keep watch over her meeting with Regina in case of just such a possibility as this attack. Clearly, however, he was doing so from farther away than she'd intended. 

He'd better hurry up, or they were done for.

"Emma!" Gold's voice peeled out powerfully over the dreadful howls of the beast.

Finally! Emma could have wept with relief. She turned her head in the direction of his voice, and he appeared at the edge of the dock in a small boat. As a wave lifted the tiny vessel upward, he sprang onto the pier, holding aloft a long white staff that Emma didn't recognise. The rod ignited with blinding white light as he snarled a clipped phrase, and Emma shielded her eyes against the burning brightness. She squinted down the pier at the beast as it stopped in its tracks, seeming to diminish in size, if not in malice, by the instant.

"Get Regina into the boat!" Gold commanded.

Emma hurried to obey, gripping Regina bodily under her arms and half lifting, half dragging her to the very edge of the wharf. The little boat dipped and plunged violently on the waves, but Emma measured the upswings and flung herself over the side as best she could when it was next almost level, hauling Regina's limp body with her. They made it, and she shouted out over the waves to Gold. He looked back over his shoulder to hear her better over the crash of the sea, and she put the last of her effort into voicing her words as she pointed.

"The Red Queen!" she cried, gesturing wildly beyond the savagely growling beast. 

Gold squinted through the dazzling light, and caught a glimpse of a lithe figure in a red dress fleeing behind the creature as it paused in hesitation. He lifted the staff higher, flooding the entire area with dazzling light, and at last, the beast turned tail with a howl and raced away after the bolting woman.

"I'll find the witch! Get Regina out of here!" Gold thundered in Emma's direction. His expression was black and terrible, and Emma quailed before the face of the Dark One.

She numbly nodded her assent, tears of exertion mingling with sea spray on her face, and threw herself across the boat to start the motor. With Regina lying motionless in the bottom of the small craft, Emma powered them towards the far end of the harbour to where she could see car-lights shining through the gathering night.


	11. Chapter 11

Emma sat darkly brooding in the chair at Regina's bedside. The rest of her family were dotted about the room, but no one spoke. They were all demoralised by the sterile hospital room and the unmoving form of the Evil Queen lying in silent repose in the infirmary bed. Henry sat with his chair pulled up close on Regina's other side, holding her hand gently between his own as tears streamed silently down his anguished face. 

A week had passed since Snow and Charming had hauled Emma and the Evil Queen ashore and into the car, racing with all haste to the hospital. They'd done all they could, but there had been no change in Regina's predicament. Her breathing had stayed deep and even over the following days, but she showed no outward signs of cognisance. Gold came daily to add to her treatment with various potions and spells, but so far, he had had little success apart from keeping her alive. He was due any minute this morning, and the Charming family waited for his arrival in depressed silence, hardly daring to hope anymore.

There was a commotion outside the hospital room as a nurse retreated out of the way, and Emma glanced up sharply as Gold strode through the doorway. He carried with him the long rod that she now recognised as the Staff of Souls. It was carved from light magic, created specifically for duelling with creatures of the Netherworld. He met Emma's eyes with a profound gaze.

"I found her," he stated, foregoing any attempt at pleasantries. His voice was soft and savage. Emma sprang to her feet.

"Where is she?" she demanded.

"Somewhere she cannot escape," Gold assured her tersely, "But the witch can wait." He held up a miniscule glass bottle filled with dark, churning liquid. "I have it."

The others watched him tensely as he pulled the cork stopper out of the tiny bottle. He swirled the viscous liquid around slowly, airing it, and then held the tip of the staff directly underneath it. The rod glowed faintly, and the dark potion in the bottle swirled to quicksilver. After a few seconds, it turned more white than silver, as though someone had bottled moonlight. 

Gold stepped quickly to Regina's side, holding the bottle gingerly with the tips of his fingers as if it might explode. Henry helped him cradle Regina's head, and he tipped the vessel to her lips, letting its contents trickle slowly into her mouth.

"What is it?" Emma asked uneasily, watching as the Queen swallowed automatically when the liquid hit the back of her throat. Gold laid her head gently back down against the pillows.

"Exactly what it looks like," he replied evenly, "The cure."

He stepped to the end of the bed, watching Regina intently for any sign that the potion was working. Relief infinitesimally crinkled the corners of his eyes as she moaned softly and stirred, and Emma leapt to her side. Henry gently took hold of Regina's hand again from his spot on the other side of her bed, and David slid his arm around Mary-Margaret's waist, holding her tightly as they waited with bated breath. Unendurable seconds dragged past, and at last, Regina's eyes fluttered open. She looked blearily about her, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

"Mom!" Henry whispered softly, his cheeks glistening with fresh tears of relief.

She turned towards the sound of his voice, and an uneven smile worked its way slowly onto her lips.

"Henry," she croaked, her voice thick with disuse.

Henry jumped up and enveloped her in a hug as carefully as he could, and Regina began to cry softly in reprieve.

Feeling her trembling at the effort of holding on to him, Henry eased her back down. Emma reached for Regina's other hand, squeezing it softly with quiet elation, and Regina turned her head to face her, her eyes a whorl of emotion.

"Emma..." Regina started to say hoarsely, her throat dry and painful.

"Shh," Emma quieted her softly, "You're okay. Gold saved you."

Regina's gaze flickered to the Dark One, standing statuesque at the end of the bed, still watching her fixedly.

"Actually," Gold corrected, redirecting the credit appropriately, "Emma did. I only brought the boat. If Emma hadn't protected you as she did, I doubt there'd be anything left of you to save by the time I got there. And you certainly wouldn't have had need of any potion afterwards."

"Well... there's a cheerful thought," Regina breathed, closing her eyes as she leaned back into the pillows.

She turned back to Emma, squeezing her hand weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Emma nodded with a strained smile, a small tear escaping her as she met the fragile gaze of the Evil Queen.

"Come, dearie," Gold directed his words to Emma, his usual penchant for lack of emotion evident in his voice, "Leave the Queen to rest. You and I have business to attend do."

Emma's expression became stormy as she recalled the Dark One's opening words upon his arrival. She certainly did have business with this Red Queen he had found.

"Take me to her," she hissed, rising to her feet like a thundercloud.

"Wait... please..." Regina interrupted breathlessly, grasping weakly at Emma's hand before she could pull away. Her voice had paled to almost to nothing as her strength faded. She regarded them with something akin to panic etched into her features, and Emma paused to reassure her despite itching to meet their foe.

"We won't be gone long," Emma said softly, squeezing her hand, "Don't worry, Regina, we'll take care of it."

"Wait..." Regina repeated, trying with all her might to force power back into her voice. She attempted to sit up, and Emma's concern for her well-being outweighed her need to leave at once. The Red Queen could wait a few moments more. She exchanged a glance with Gold, silently imploring him to check his impatience, and then turned her full attention to Regina.

"What is it?" Emma asked softly, rearranging her pillows as she helped prop her up in the bed. Realistically, she thought it was far too early for her to attempt to rise, but it was very difficult to refuse the Evil Queen, even in her current state. She seemed adamant, and Emma knew she would push herself to achieve it alone if she refused to help her.

"Tell me... what happened," Regina urged softly. Her breath flowed a little more easily once she was sitting upright. "I need to know, Emma – don't leave anything out."

Emma looked at her intently, noting the subtle flush of colour washing back into her cheeks. She knew that Regina was resilient, but the rate at which she was forcing herself to recover was hardcore, even for the Evil Queen. Impressed, she raised her eyebrows and obligingly started at the beginning, at the moment that the first bolt of black lightning had struck Regina squarely between her shoulder blades.

She described the shadow-beast in excruciating detail, and Regina's face hardened impassively when she mentioned the sighting of the Red Queen in the background. She replayed through each second of the encounter, ending with Gold's last-minute arrival, the Red Queen's flight, and their own escape to safety in the little boat as the beast followed its mistress into the woods.

"You're lucky that the bolt hit you in the back," Gold cut in as Emma was wrapping up her tale, "If it had hit your heart, you'd be dead."

Regina managed to scowl at him. Emma gently squeezed her hand again, drawing her attention back to her instead.

"You never did finish telling me what you didn't think," she smiled softly as she reminded Regina of her last words a week ago.

Unexpectedly, she saw Regina's face cloud with pain.

"It doesn't matter now," the Queen said quietly through clenched teeth, "Clearly, I was wrong."

She slumped back against the pillows, her forced energy dissipating abruptly. She'd heard what she'd wanted to hear, and in the face of the truth her resolve crumbled.

Emma sympathetically squeezed her hand softly once more as she rose to her feet. She nodded to Gold that they should go, and he propped the Staff of Souls against the end of the bed.

"Just in case," he said to Henry, and then he and Emma stalked out of the room.

Regina didn't even look up as they left. She squeezed her eyes shut, wholly absorbed in her own world of hurt – not all of it physical.

"C'mon, Henry," Mary-Margaret whispered, "Your mother needs to rest. Let's go find a sandwich."

Regina heard Mary-Margaret's whisper, but didn't open her eyes to see her reach for Henry's hand to guide him out of the room. She didn't see Henry's last, lingering gaze at her, either, but she listened hard as their quite footsteps receded.

She managed to hold onto her emotions for a long moment, allowing her visitors time to really leave, and then she broke down into quiet, wracking sobs. She was dimly aware that her body ached, physically, but the pain in her heart drowned it out.

Idiot. She reprimanded herself, fiercely.

She'd only been out in the open on the pier in the first place to meet Emma somewhere private, to confide in her friend that she thought there was more to the Red Queen than had first appeared. She'd wanted to tell her that, perhaps, the witch might have a benign purpose, and that they'd over-reacted. But she realised now that she'd been bewitched by moonlight grey eyes and a fleeting kiss, disarmed by her own need to feel more than just darkness and hate, and she'd nearly died because of it. 

She'd allowed herself a moment of hope, a moment of weakness; she'd convinced herself that because the Red Queen's magic couldn't harm her, she didn't intend her malice. The amplified protection spell had added to her illusion, and she'd relaxed her guard, looked forward to meeting her on better terms. She'd dared to hope for a connection with someone who seemed so much like her. A Queen, a sorceress... a villain seeking redemption. And, whilst she'd been caught up with foolish dreams, the Red Queen had taken advantage of her lack of caution, summoning a Netherworld Beast to ambush her when she least expected it. The witch's magic might not be able to harm her, but that of a shadow-beast certainly could.

Regina had spent her whole life building walls around herself for just such an eventuality as this, and at the last possible moment, she'd tripped at the finish line. She whimpered softly clenching her fists.

Oh, if Cora could see her now! Her mother would gloat for weeks over Regina's self-inflicted downfall, brought about by her absurd quest for light, hope and goodness. For a pitiful moment, she almost wished that the shadow-beast had succeeded in eradicating her. Then she wouldn't be around to have to deal with her stunning ruin at the hands of the Red Queen. 

But the instant of self-pity passed rapidly; it was not in her nature to lose. She reminded herself that she'd spent her lifetime surviving impossible odds, and she'd be damned if she stopped now. Her eyes flashed open, violent fire burning brightly in their bottomless depths, and she pulled away from the support of the pillows. 

She wasn't dead - yet. 

The Red Queen should have destroyed her when she had the chance; her failure to do so would be her undoing. Regina pushed her way free of the bedclothes, sliding off the platform onto her feet. She felt her magic coursing through her veins and stood steady, smiling darkly. 

Just once more, she promised herself. This would be the last time.

She let her darkness flow free and intoxicate her, revelling in the savage strength it gifted her. Tomorrow, she would try again to be good, but today... 

Well.

Today there was still plenty of time for the Evil Queen to crush her adversary. Regina knew that Gold had her, and she had a good idea of where he'd be keeping her. She smiled with morbid satisfaction. She would strip the Red Queen and her Netherworld Beast down to the bone - with her bare hands, if necessary. 

She'd do it with flair, and with finality, as only the supremely outraged Evil Queen could. 

She caught sight of her own faint reflection in the hospital window, and paused. She'd have to dress properly for the occasion, of course. Scrutinizing her abject self-image, she snapped her fingers. Instantly, her garish hospital gown was gone, replaced by a long, flowing dress, black as sin under the bright hospital lights. 

Regina smiled with violent pleasure at her sinister reflection, igniting her power between her clawed fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she disappeared in a plume of indigo smoke - leaving nought but a discarded hospital gown and an empty bed behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

The formerly glorious Red Queen made a pitiful sight in the dusty light of the single naked bulb. Her star-spangled hair hung limply around her wan face with no hint of its prior lustre. Even her red dress had lost its vital sheen, sagging dull and lifeless against her pale skin in the gloomy cell. She had no idea how long she'd been down here, but reckoned in the region of days, not hours. She trembled weakly with exhaustion. She was hungry, she was thirsty, and she was terribly, terribly cold. She closed her eyes to the sight of bare rock around her, taking a deep, calming breath. 

She wasn't designed for captivity, and she felt as though the rock walls were closing in around her. She concentrated on keeping her breathing steady, trying to feel the moonlight through the miles of rock above her. Above ground, even in the daylight, she was aware of the lunar presence, but here, in the oppressive depths of the dwarf mines, her lifeline was out of her reach. She slumped back into the darkest corner, drawing her knees up to her chest and circling her arms around them tightly. She buried her face in her arms, pressing her forehead to the usually silken fabric of her dress, and lamented at the limp roughness of it against her skin. 

She would die here, so far from the moonlight. She knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Her power was draining away by the hour. She sighed softly in resignation, her thoughts bitter. It didn't matter now, anyway... 

She'd failed.

She'd arrived at the dock too late to warn Regina of the evil she'd sensed was coming, and been forced to watch, helpless, as the shadow-beast had cut her down. She'd tried to get past the creature to help her, but the Dark One had shown up out of the blue, wielding the Staff of Souls. Where he'd gotten it from, she couldn't imagine, but it had thrown her mission into complete disarray. She'd known that the Netherworld Beast would turn tail and run from the Staff, and she'd realised in the same instant that she would be directly in its path if it reversed its direction. 

She'd had mere seconds of a head start before the Dark One had sent the nefarious creature bolting after her, and then she'd been too caught up in a mad dash for escape from the savage thing to get back to Regina in time. She'd had to run until her feet bled before she shook it from her trail - there was no evaporating in smoke away from a Netherworld Beast, it would catch you for certain in the between.

When she'd finally made her way secretively back to the docks, hours later, there was no sign of Regina anywhere. She'd checked her house, but the others hadn't taken her there, and, being not of this town, or world, she didn't know where else to look. She'd desperately prowled the streets in the darkness of the following nights for hours, searching for a hint of magic, but the pull from Regina never came. 

She'd feared the worst, and her search became ever more careless in her desperation. 

And then, the Dark One had caught her. 

She'd been following a teasing vibration that she thought might have come from Regina, and she'd rounded a corner and walked directly into him. He'd been as surprised as she was to come upon her so unexpectedly, but he'd recovered quicker than she, and snapped a collar of magic around her slender neck before she could think to react.

She lifted her head from her arms and reached up to touch the vile thing. 

It was still there, biting mercilessly into her throat. He controlled her through it, used it to void her magic. She sighed hatefully as she remembered having to obey his every command as he'd escorted her down into the mines and left her in this cell to rot. 

She stiffened as a noise from the depths of the passageway broke into her reverie - speak of the devil. 

A faint illumination was glowing from far down around the corner of the passage, and as it grew brighter, she became aware of footsteps approaching with it. She flared her nostrils like a trapped animal as two people rounded the corner; the Dark One, lamp in hand, and the blonde woman with the tan leather jacket who had been with Regina that fateful evening. The Red Queen shrank back against the wall, snarling at them, but the Dark One forced her to her feet with a sharp spike of power through her collar. She dragged her feet as they carried her resisting body towards the gate of her cell, and he smiled grimly at her as he forced her forward.

"She doesn't look like much now, does she?" the blonde woman said, resting her hands on her hips as she surveyed their prisoner. The Red Queen fixed her with the most vicious stare she could summon, lifting her chin defiantly above the bright snap of the collar.

"No," the Dark One agreed with a dark smile, "But she's had a bit of a tough time, dearie."

The blonde woman stepped closer to the bars of the cell, returning the glare coldly.

"Who are you, witch?" she bit out.

The Red Queen held her tongue. Smiling at her resistance, the Dark One held up a finger in warning. Uncowed, she glared at him icily, and he unleashed a crippling bolt of power through the collar that dropped her to her knees. She clawed at the choker, gasping for breath as the woman repeated her question. The Dark One gave her a moment to reconsider her silence, and then hit her again.

Dizzy, she tasted the sharp tang of blood in her mouth and heard a ringing in her ears. It took her a moment before she realised the sound wasn't imaginary. 

The blonde woman reached into her pocket with a scowl of irritation at the interruption, pulling out her insistently ringing phone.

"It's not a good time, kid," she answered it darkly. But, there was a vocal barrage from the other end of the line, and her eyes widened in disquiet as she listened.

"You're not making any sense," she said sharply, "Put David on the phone."

A pause, and then a deeper baritone echoed out of the phone. The muffled words were slower, but by no means calmer.

"What do you mean, Regina is missing?" the woman barked, a note of panic rising in her voice, "We just saw her half an hour ago, too weak to sit up on her own!"

The Red Queen's eyes widened with a fresh surge of hope as she eavesdropped, and the Dark One tanged at her collar in warning. The blonde woman listened intently to the device a moment longer.

"No," she said, eyeing the Red Queen with vehemence, "She has nothing to do with it. I'm looking right at her. Find Regina, now. That thing is still out there somewhere! We're on our way!" She snapped at the Dark One as she spun on her heel. "This'll have to wait."

"Of course," the Dark One responded obligingly, "This one's not going anywhere, anyway." He held the lamp high to light the blonde woman's exit.

The Red Queen flung herself at the bars with a primal cry. "Wait!" She found her voice and howled after the retreating backs of her captors. "You have to release me!"

The blonde woman paused and threw her a scalding glower.

"We have to do no such thing," she snorted scathingly, "It's thanks to you that Regina's in this mess in the first place." 

She turned and strode away. The Dark One didn't even spare the Red Queen so much as a fleeting backward glance as he disappeared around the corner.

"Wait, please!" the Red Queen wailed, "You don't understand! Let me out! Let me OUT!"

She beat at the bars of her cage until her fists were bloody, sobbing with fury and screaming curses after them down the dark passageway, but it was to no avail. The blonde woman and the Dark One were gone. Beside herself, she desperately threw out her awareness for the moon's power.

Unexpectedly, she found something far stronger instead.

Regina! 

The pull flared like lightning in her breast, and its source wasn't far away. It came from the surface above, a little way off to the east, and it was growing steadily stronger. The Red Queen wept in relief, but the link abruptly faltered.

An indescribable taint of evil weaved its way through it. 

No! She gasped, and choked on her fear. The Netherworld Beast had found Regina. Petrified at the implications, the Red Queen summoned every ounce of power she had. With a searing cry, she tore the collar from her throat, and the force unleashed as it burst shattered the bars of her cage, razing through the Dark One's reinforcing magic like a knife through a heart. 

She took one heartbeat to gather her breath, her grey eyes wild as the stormy sea, and then, pulling red smoke around her, bolted into the between.


	13. Chapter 13

The Evil Queen stormed through the forest like a hurricane, razing everything in her path. Dark magic tore in a whirlwind around her, splintering trees and toppling them to the earth with a thunderous crashing. The wake of devastation stretched all the way back to town, and she revelled in the destruction as she hurtled unerringly to her destination. The black cape clipped across her shoulders flared out fitfully behind her, and the high spiked collar of her dusky dress framed the fury in her features. She was every inch the Evil Queen, intent on visiting her wrath upon anything that got in her way.

"Regina!" 

Emma's frantic voice carried to her on the light breeze, but the Evil Queen didn't miss a stride. She thwarted Emma's attempt to reach her by hurling a whole tree across her path. The Sheriff rolled out of the way, cursing, and the Dark One helped her up as the Evil Queen marched on.

"There'll be no stopping her in that state, dearie," the Dark One said flippantly, reaching over to pull a leaf out of her hair, "Best try to keep up."

He followed his own advice and strode after the tornado of fury that was Regina. Emma swore and ran to catch up.

At the edge of the clearing that housed the mine entrance, the Evil Queen finally paused. She narrowed her eyes as the day darkened to twilight gloom around her, and then spun around like lightning to face the Netherworld Beast as it pounced. She unleashed her electrical fury in a crackling bolt of power, blasting the creature off course mid-leap. 

Further behind in the trees, Emma and Gold heard its thunderous howl and broke into a dead run. Ominous black clouds, flecked through with a sickly green radiance, began to gather with startling rapidity above them. Within moments, they had blotted out the sunlight and drained the colour from the landscape. The shadow-beast recovered its feet with a snarl, and began to prowl around Regina. An unholy growl rumbled deep in its throat as it circled her, searching for a moment of opportunity. 

The Evil Queen turned with its circuit, hands raised and ready, denying it an opening. The day darkened further, and the beast began to grow in size even as it continued to prowl. It had started out larger than a horse, but in an instant had doubled its shadowy mass. It approached elephantine proportions, and then surpassed them, not breaking its stride as it tightened the circle. 

Imperceptibly, it was edging her further into the open.

The Evil Queen fired bolts of power at it every time it drew too close for comfort, causing it to dodge away with a snarl, but still the circuit grew gradually tighter and she found she couldn't hold her ground in the relative safety of the treeline. The beast leapt at her at pivotal moments, snapping its jaws of darkness, and Regina had to keep backing out of the way, further and further into the unsheltered clearing. Emma and Gold hesitated at the edge of the trees at the sight of the spectacle unfolding before them, sharing a bleak thought of the Staff of Souls, resting useless against the end of an empty hospital bed, miles away.

"What do we do?" Emma said frantically, watching in horror as Regina methodically punched out bolts of power, trying to keep the beast at bay. Her fury had settled to grim determination as she repelled it again and again, and yet, she was still losing ground.

"Divert it's attention," Gold said, steeling himself. Emma nodded even as her face paled.

They split up, circling out from the trees in opposite directions, moving quietly into their respective positions.

Gold attacked it first, sending a spinning wind of power bursting into its side. The beast howled in fury, finally breaking its circle around Regina as it turned its distracted attention to him. From the other side of the clearing, Emma unleashed a bright lash of light magic, making the beast yowl in further annoyance. It swung in her direction, but then stopped and turned back to Gold, who was closer. 

Alarmed at its response, Emma tried again, but the gigantic shadow-beast ignored the sting of her power, advancing with menace towards the Dark One. The Evil Queen joined in, firing off another bolt of dark energy that caught it squarely in the back of the head. It snapped its jowls at her over its shoulder, and then leapt at Gold in a blur of movement. The Dark One flung up a shield, but the enraged beast smashed through it and knocked him flying with an effortless swing of one massive, shadowy appendage. Gold arced through the air to land hard with a thud some distance away. 

Emma was already running. There was no point continuing to try and distract it from different angles – it appeared too smart for that. She skidded to a halt at Regina's side, meeting her now-nervous gaze before fixating her attention once more on the shadowy beast.

Gold didn't rise from where he had fallen, and the dark creature returned its interest to its true purpose. It was still growing ever larger as the day continued to darken threateningly, and was now the size of a dragon. The Evil Queen and Emma raised their hands as one, unleashing their power in an electrical surge of light and dark magic. 

Their magics cut through the oppressive air together and crashed into the beast as it stalked toward them, pushing back hard against it. The beast howled in pain and fury, digging its claws into the earth for leverage and shaking itself in rage. The two women focused their twin beams of magic as powerfully as they could, but the massive creature bowed its head against the force of it and stepped forward, one deliberate step at a time.

"Regina!" Emma cried out, "It's not stopping!"

"I can see that!" Regina shot back, panting at the effort of keeping up the continuous stream of magic.

With a thunderous cracking sound, the white strand of Emma's light magic suddenly turned black as ink and circled itself back on her without warning. The bolt of power knocked her sprawling, and she rolled to a halt a few feet away, unconscious but breathing. Regina shouted desperately to her fallen comrade, but Emma didn't stir.

The beast roared in arrogant challenge, and Regina found herself suddenly alone in the face of certain death. She renewed her outpouring of magic with a primordial cry, and the beam of her power flared darkly. But, alone, her magic's effect on the beast was weakened. Staring at her with smouldering, soulless eyes, it began to move more easily toward her. It was nearly close enough to hit its mark, and it paused and gathered its darkness around itself. 

Behind it, the shadows condensed and a gaping black hole tore through the fabric of existence, belching out the foul smell of sulphur. Regina felt the blood drain from her face. 

At last, she understood. The beast meant to drag her back to the Netherworld as its prize. 

Her magic faltered as the unadorned inevitability of eternal damnation sank in. 

The appalling creature gathered itself to pounce.

Regina took a step backward in dread, and collided with something solid. The scent of honeysuckle and apple-blossom drove the stench of terror from her lungs, and then the Red Queen moulded herself against Regina's back, her power bright and liquid in her flashing hands. 

The Evil Queen collapsed against her in stark relief, moving with her like a marionette. With deadly focus, the Red Queen fused her magic to Regina's, and a searing beam the colour of moonlight radiated forth from them both. Regina gasped as she leaned into the anchor behind her, marvelling that the magic was not two separate strands intertwined, but rather a single torrent of silver light. 

The shadow-beast roared furiously, leaping forward to meet it, and the magic sang wildly in response. The two women cried out as one, and the flood of power they unleashed smashed into the creature, ramming it into the gaping black hole behind it. The brilliant magic faded, and the monster howled as the vortex sucked it down. With a final, furious effort, it flung one last black bolt of lightning at Regina. 

Fast as a falcon, the Red Queen pitched her aside. Regina cried out in horror as the bolt meant for her hit the Red Queen squarely in the heart. 

In the same instant, the black vortex imploded violently, drowning out the furious screams of the thwarted Netherworld Beast.

The Red Queen crumpled as if in slow motion.

With a stricken cry, Regina leapt for her. She caught her as she fell, sinking to her knees with her head and shoulders cradled on her lap. The Red Queen gasped for breath, her moonlight eyes wide with agony as she clutched fruitlessly at her heart. Regina cupped her face gently, her tears raining freely down.

The Red Queen sucked in a painful breath. "I'm... sorry, Regina... I've... failed you."

"Failed me!" Regina cried out in consternation. She willed her to keep breathing. "You saved my life!"

The Red Queen exhaled, closing her eyes briefly with a soft smile. "Twice," she murmured.

"Twice," Regina nodded with a tearful smile, stroking her starlight hair. She didn't know where the Red Queen had appeared from the second before her demise, but she'd never been so relieved to see someone in her entire life.

The Red Queen haltingly sucked in another breath, and reached up with the last of her strength to cup Regina's cheek. Regina held her hand there, leaning into her touch.

"Forgive me... Regina... For failing to give you the happy ending... you so truly deserve."

She sank back with a sigh. Her glowing moonlight eyes ebbed to dullness, but she kept them on Regina's tearful face until the last. Quietly, she released her final breath, and Regina's sobs broke free with abandon as the hook in her heart constricted violently. 

Too late, she understood the pull. Too late, she recognised that terrifying, savage power. 

It was her own magic, after all - reaching out desperately for her soulmate. 

Devastated at the sudden understanding of the extent of her loss, Regina rocked gently back and forth, keening. Her tears fell on the other woman's still face, and her heart broke into a thousand pieces. 

Gently, she leaned down and pressed a timorous kiss to the Red Queen's still lips.

Goodbye, my love. 

Regina's tears rained down and she clung to her fallen soulmate, sobbing her heart out. 

Villains don't get happy endings.


	14. Chapter 14

Regina wept bitterly over the still, cold body of the Red Queen.

She'd lost her chance at happiness before she'd even known it had been within her grasp, and her heart keened in anguish. Around her, it seemed the earth itself shook with her very grief, that the air hummed agitatedly with her distress. Regina's tears fell like rain, and the feeling grew until it was almost unbearable. Slowly, Regina realised through her savage grief that the earth truly was shaking, and that the air actually was writhing itself into gusting fits. 

She looked up in confusion, and became aware of a bright glow descending rapidly from the dark sky. A flood of light preceded it, harrying away the last shadows of darkness. Regina froze, staring through wet, swollen eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Her heart beat faster at the impossible scene unfolding before her - the moon, travelling down to earth. 

The great orb settled effortlessly against the dark, shaking ground, shining so brightly with white and silver light that Regina had to cover her eyes against its forceful radiance. As the earth and the air stilled, she saw a silhouette materializing against the blinding light. 

Out of the indescribable luminescence, a woman in a flowing silver gown stepped forth. The woman's skin glowed with inhuman beauty, and her pale blonde hair cascaded the length of her back to fall in waves at her feet. Despite her heartache, Regina sat upright and protectively cradled the Red Queen's lifeless body against her chest. Swiping away a tear, she formed a crackling ball of dark magic with her free hand, steeling herself to do battle once more. 

The stranger simply smiled and glided forth, unafraid.

Regina held her breath, following the woman's every move with suspicious eyes as she came forward to crouch beside the fallen Queens. She reached out her arms for the Red Queen, but Regina only clasped her tighter.

"Even true love's kiss cannot defeat death, Regina," the stranger chided gently, "But I can."

Despite her readiness to fight, Regina found herself becoming inexplicably calmed by the woman's presence. Her grip loosened of its own accord, and the other gently plucked the Red Queen free from her grasp.

"Who are you?" Regina challenged softly, wary of the unusual hum of the stranger's power. She found herself helpless to do anything but sit back and watch.

"I am Aphrodite," the other said, turning her attention to the Red Queen and laying her gently flat on her back.

"The - Goddess of Love?" Awestruck, Regina's disbelieving question came out as the barest breath, and the silver woman inclined her head lightly in assent, not looking up from her task.

She reached down over the Red Queen's heart, and with a gentle hooking maneuver of one slender finger, exposed the end of a snarl of the blackest magic. Delicately, she tugged it free and crushed it in her palm with a flash of silver moonlight. 

The Red Queen heaved in a great gulp of air. 

Disbelief warring with hope, Regina leaped to her side, reaching out to help her sit up. As her gaze came into focus, the Red Queen's moonlight eyes lit upon Regina. Without a word, she grasped the front of her midnight-dark dress in both hands and pulled her into range, crushing her mouth to Regina's with incredible urgency. Regina didn't hesitate, lacing her fingers through her starlight hair and returning the kiss with fervour. The Evil Queen felt as though her heart might explode, but now that she understood the force within, the feeling was euphoric. They embraced for a long moment, then pulled back and their thunderstruck gazes locked.

"Regina," the Red Queen smiled, her flawless face alight with wonder. 

Regina mirrored her expression of pure joy, but then suddenly remembered the silver woman. Her gaze darted over to the Goddess, who stood quietly off to one side, allowing them the space to savour their reunion. The Red Queen followed Regina's eye and scrambled to her feet in surprise. She hurriedly dropped down to one knee before the silver woman, who smiled graciously at her before reaching out to draw her back to her feet.

The Red Queen caught up the silver woman in a deferential hug. "Mother! Thank you!"

Regina's jaw dropped at the exchange, and the Red Queen turned back to her with a mischievous smile.

"Regina," she said cordially, reaching out to her to draw her forward, "May I introduce my mother - the Goddess, Aphrodite."

"Yes, we've met," Regina unthinkingly snapped back to cover her shock. Abashed, she quickly averted her gaze.

The Red Queen laughed and twined her fingers through Regina's, causing her to look up and smile despite her blush.

"Then, may I properly introduce myself," the Red Queen said. She turned to face her, taking her other hand as well so that she held both. "Regina, I am Caerys Halloran, the Red Queen, child of the moon, daughter of Aphrodite."

Regina couldn't seem to voice the appropriate response, so instead she let her glowing heart be her guide. Shyly, she leaned forward, and Caerys met her lips, smiling through the kiss. They drew apart and turned together to face the Goddess.

"I am forever in your debt," Caerys softly addressed her mother, "I thought I had failed, but you've brought me into this world a second time, for a second chance."

"Indeed," Aphrodite agreed, then fixed her luminous gaze upon Regina's face, "For her. To bring the Evil Queen her Happy Ending."

Uncharacteristically, Regina's gaze dropped right to the floor. She might be a Queen, but she was feeling ill-equipped to bear the scrutiny of a Goddess who had just offered her the single thing she most desired.

Happiness.

"Villains don't get Happy Endings," she murmured softly, unable to bring herself to believe it.

"You are not a Villain," Aphrodite said calmly, and Regina managed to lift her eyes to the Goddess' silver gaze.

"Well, I'm not a Hero, either," Regina countered, only just managing to keep an edge of politeness in her voice.

"Exactly," Aphrodite said. She folded her graceful arms, waiting patiently for her statement to sink in.

Regina's thoughts whirled, wondering what on earth the Goddess meant by it all. All her life she had been the Evil Queen, a Villain on the side of darkness, and it was a long-stated fact that Good won, not Evil. 

It didn't seem reasonable that a Happy Ending should suddenly just be delivered up to her on a silver platter by the Goddess of Love.

"Regina, you do not have your Happy Ending yet - your road is just beginning," Aphrodite chided softly, seeing into her thoughts, "It is still a long way to the end, but now you have a second chance to make the right decisions. The path is simple. All that is required is for you to be true to yourself."

The Evil Queen suddenly had the distinct impression that the Goddess was judging her worth, as though she were still deciding if Regina truly was deserving of her Happy Ending.

"I'm trying!" Regina entreated, wanting to explain herself. Desperation crept in along with the feeling that she was about to lose it all before she'd even tasted it. "I'm trying to make the right decisions, to step away from the darkness. I'm trying so hard to be Good, to be a Hero!"

Aphrodite sighed sadly, turning away. "You've entirely misunderstood my meaning."

Before Regina could say another word, the silver light surrounding the Goddess gathered with rapid intensity, enveloping her and melting her from their sight. When the blinding glow dissipated, the silver woman was gone. The correct hour of the day returned, and a watery sun peeked out from behind great tufts of white cloud.

Regina's breath caught in her chest, and she felt suddenly bereft as she blinked back tears in the mild sunlight.

"No," she murmured at last, hanging her head in despair. 

She'd been so close - she'd almost had the chance to find out how to achieve her long-elusive Happy Ending. But under the judgement of the Goddess, she'd found herself unworthy, consumed with guilt at having relapsed into the darkness inside her. In trying to explain herself, she'd cost herself the moment with the Goddess, and the worst part was, she didn't really understand why. She really had been trying to err on the side of Good. 

A tear rolled down her cheek at the realisation that all of her past efforts hadn't been enough.

Gently, the Red Queen took her hand, turning her to face her. Her moonlight gaze stole softly into the depths of her soul, and Regina took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, unable to meet her eyes, "I don't mean to cry. I am so happy that you are alive, and here with me. It's just... I don't dare to hope you'll be around very long."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Caerys asked curiously, "I am here, at your side. Where I should be."

Regina smiled weakly at her. "Even though I've tried to turn from the darkness into the light, I'm afraid that the Goddess has judged me, and found me wanting." 

A muffled sob escaped her, and the Red Queen gently reached out to tilt her chin up, gazing deeply into her tearful eyes.

"You are wrong," Caerys whispered, "She has not judged you at all; no one may judge you but yourself. She has simply given you the chance at true happiness. She has even told you how to achieve it."

"But I don't understand," Regina shook her head, unable to see sense in her words.

"You've judged yourself, Regina," Caerys explained gently, "And in doing so you've pushed yourself into a corner. You have over-complicated your quest for Happiness. This is not a battle between light and dark... good and evil... Don't you see? There is no winning side. You are good, and evil. To deny one or the other is to deny who you are - that's what she was trying to tell you."

Regina stared at her cynically despite her tears, trying to match her opinions to the thoughts storming her mind.

"You'll come to terms with what I have just said," Caerys smiled at her, "In your own way, in your own time. It is not for me to choose your destiny. My task to only to protect you and point you in the right direction."

"No one can be good and evil," Regina murmured, her brow creasing into a frown as she considered the possibility of the root of her failure at happiness.

"But you are," Caerys said, watching her intently.

With a sigh, Regina relented in the face of the idea.

Perhaps, perhaps it was possible. She closed her eyes, reaching within for her magic, probing at it, tentatively exploring her own soul. She knew that she certainly had the capacity for both Good and Evil, but she'd tried all her life tried to be one or the other. She'd spent the first half of her life believing that love and light were weakness, and then spent the latter trying to escape the darkness she'd allowed into her heart. Maybe, just maybe, she could learn to understand, and accept, that both sides were equally important. 

She admitted to herself that she felt weak when she caged the darkness inside her, but empty when she caged the light. Perhaps it really was time to let them both out at once, and just see what happened. As the thought filled her mind, she gasped in wonder at the sensation of chains snapping deep inside her. She held her breath, gazing within as the two sides of her soul squared off, and then, at last, had their first tentative meeting on equal terms. A profound tide of freedom engulfed her, and Regina laughed breathlessly in the face of the truth. She opened her eyes at last, her face alight with awe.

"Caerys," Regina said softly, savouring the name of the woman standing before her, revelling in the swell of sensations inside her. Light and dark swirled freely, setting her very blood aflame with an intensity she'd never before experienced. 

She felt powerfully vital, as if she could sense the very essence of life in the air around her. And as she met the moonlight gaze of the Red Queen, she felt her soul melt with indescribable emotion. Her heart drummed wildly, frolicking untamed in her chest. Deserting any sense of propriety, she caught the smiling Red Queen around her waist and pulled her close in a feverish rush. 

Time stood suspended as their lips met with reckless abandon, and Regina let herself go in the enchanting moment, not sparing a thought for how she would explain her recent revelations to the residents of Storybrooke.

All too soon, the spell of the moment was broken.

"Regina?" Emma's dubious voice broke into their private reverie.

The Evil Queen grudgingly pulled her head free from her lover's embrace, but did not relinquish her grip on her waist. She leaned around the Red Queen's stunning visage, and saw Emma and Gold standing nearby, staring at her incredulously.

"My, my, dearie," Gold sneered at her, "You do have some explaining to do."


	15. Epilogue Part 1

"Let's go out!" Caerys exclaimed. She bounded up from her seat on the carpet with unreserved energy.

"Where?" Regina snorted, "It's the middle of the night!"

The hall clock was ticking steadily towards midnight, and they were reclined on the floor of Regina's sitting room, leaning back against the base of the couch. They were sipping at wine, watching the merry crackle of flames in the hearth.

"Just out." Caerys leaned over her and caught her hand to pull her upright.

"It's freezing outside!" Regina protested darkly. She pushed her weight down towards the floor in an attempt to stay comfortably where she was, but Caerys laughed and lifted her bodily into her arms. She kissed Regina's helpless mouth to smother her objections, and her moonlight eyes glinted with mischief.

"Say please, at least," Regina insisted breathlessly, as Caerys whirled away from her again.

"In your dreams!" the Red Queen laughed. She swept across the room with her uncanny effortless movement, and disappeared through the doorway.

Regina huffed, throwing one last longing glance at the alluring fireplace, and then followed her into the hall. She headed towards the front door to unhook her coat, but paused as Caerys cleared her throat from the halfway up the staircase. Regina swung round to face her, planting her hands on her hips and scowling.

"What?" she inquired. It wasn't so much a question, as a warning.

"First, get dressed," the Red Queen commanded, ignoring her thunderous expression.

"I am dressed!" Regina shot back. She glared pointedly down at her sleek black ensemble.

"Surely you're not going out like that?" Caerys cocked her head at her.

"I was about to get my coat off the rack..." Regina growled. She was rapidly tiring of Caerys' little game.

"I meant get properly dressed," Caerys scoffed wickedly, "What kind of Evil Queen roams the night in a pantsuit?"

Realising what she implied, Regina glared up at her as though she'd lost her mind.

"You want me to wear a dress? It's snowing outside!"

Caerys grinned impudently. "Your magic will keep you warm... Or I will."

She scarpered up the stairs.

Regina stalked up after her, muttering under her breath. Her blood was starting to simmer, despite her best efforts to stay calm. She knew Caerys was baiting her, yet she couldn't help but rise to it.

The Red Queen was already fastening the last tie on her stunning crimson-and-silver dress when Regina darkly entered the room, and she looked up from the work of her slender fingers with a devilish smile.

"You're already wearing the expression, darling," she taunted, "You might as well put on the dress."

Regina's eyes flashed, and she stopped pointedly in the doorway. She leaned against the frame and crossed her arms tightly.

"You are heading towards a line," she said. Her voice was deceptively calm, but her eyes sparked dangerously.

"And I'm going to cross it," Caerys returned without missing a beat. She straightened her star-spangled tiara, and turned the full intensity of her moonlight gaze upon her Regina. She snared Regina's black-sequined dress deftly off the end of the bed where she had laid it out, and held it up with a flourish.

"Your arrogance infuriates me," Regina stated, staring her down from the doorway.

"It also intoxicates you," Caerys purred. She ran the silken train of the dress through her slender fingers, tutting. "Don't tell me you'd prefer timidity from the consort of the Evil Queen?"

Regina didn't deign to reply. She simply glared at her with vexation, and their standoff persisted for a long, tense moment.

"The moon is full," Caerys said at last. She dropped her moonlight gaze to the floor, picking absently at the hem of Regina's dress. "The winter magic is approaching its zenith... I want to feel it - really feel it. Come out with me, Regina, please?"

Regina narrowed her eyes, but she abandoned her vantage point by the door and stalked forth to snatch her dress. Even though Caerys had been the first to relent, Regina somehow still didn't feel like she'd won. The Red Queen had a way of doing that, of backing down without conceding. Regina resolved to keep her wits about her for Caerys' next move. She knew their battle of wills wasn't over yet, despite her partner's retreat. 

She changed her attire quickly, pointedly ignoring Caerys. As she slipped on the dress of the Evil Queen, she had to admit that the commanding magic outside was calling to her, too. She'd been parading around as the Mayor of a magicless town for so long, she'd hardly recognised the sensation, but, at Caerys putting it into words, her own blood sang in response. Suddenly, she couldn't stem her eagerness to be out there in its midst.

When she was finally bedecked in her splendid black dress, Caerys leaned back on the bed and let out a low whistle. The ensemble clung to Regina's shapely form, artfully showing off her slender curves, and Caerys devoured her with hungry eyes.

"Wow..." Caerys breathed, "... Long live the Evil Queen." 

She got up, and came to help her fasten the long, spiked collar onto her shoulders. Her movements were sultry, measured, and Regina swallowed at the tantalising proximity of her scarlet lips as she leaned around her to fasten the far side of the collar. The honeysuckle and apple-blossom scent of her took Regina's breath away, and the last of her stubborn ire fled with it. 

Caerys took half a step backward and met Regina's bottomless, liquid gaze. Regina's lips parted, and she watched her with hooded eyes, inclining towards her. Caerys watched her bite her lip, saw her body draw closer, and watched her eyelashes flutter closed. 

The tension built unbearable, but at the last moment, Caerys smiled wickedly and spun away.

Regina, leaning in for the kiss, missed. She gasped, crashing back down out of the moment, and her thwarted heart fluttered like a surprised hummingbird. Caerys stared innocently at her, her huge eyes filled with exaggerated concern.

"Something wrong, Your Majesty?"

Regina's nostrils flared – there it was! Caerys was an expert at backing off in a standoff only to retaliate unexpectedly when the next opportunity presented itself. 

Regina huffed, silently scolding herself for letting her guard down. She schooled her features into a haughty mask, unwilling to let Caerys get away with having the last word every time they sparred. She compelled her body not to respond as the Red Queen, smiling smugly, came close again and circled her arms around Regina's slender waist. 

Caerys laughed out loud at her aloof expression, as if it were comical that Regina even imagined that she could win in a battle of their wills. Undaunted, she leaned forward and kissed the Evil Queen.

Regina's blood sang in immediate response, and she abandoned her attempt at detachment as a fever of magic stormed forth inside her. She returned the kiss recklessly, pulling the Red Queen hard against her, revelling in the feel of her supple body beneath the silk of her scarlet dress. They broke apart at last, and Regina bit at her lip as she drank in the sight of a breathless Caerys. 

But beneath the adoration in the Red Queen's eyes, her mirth danced brightly at Regina's surrender.

"Kissing me is hardly fair," Regina protested. 

But she smiled - despite her obstinance, she marvelled at the way the Red Queen could play her emotions like a puppeteer. Faced with the unbridled charisma of her paramour, she realised wryly that, ultimately, she didn't stand a chance. She'd just have to get used to not always getting her way.

Caerys smiled easily at her following silence and implied submission, but graciously didn't rub it in.

"I don't know how you do it," Regina complained softly, running her fingers through Caerys' starlight hair, "I've never met anyone who can infuriate me to the point of murder one moment, and then push me to the heights of rapture in the next."

"I have a secret," Caerys smiled. She leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "I'm not afraid of you."

Regina laughed at last. "You'd be the first!" She smiled sardonically. "Now, are we going out or not?"

"We're going out," Caerys said without hesitation.

She stepped to the bedroom window and flung it wide, leaning out into the night to breathe in the growing winter storm. Regina raised her eyebrows as a flurry of snow gusted past in the darkness. It was a two-story drop beyond.

"As if I've never used this window before," Caerys said exasperatedly, in answer to her unspoken question.

"Stalker," Regina muttered. 

But she joined her at the window and took her proffered hand, and they leapt out into the night. Caerys' magic slowed their descent, and they landed lightly in the powdery snow.

In the tumult of the snowstorm surrounding them, Caerys fixed Regina with a wicked grin. She drew herself up to her full height, squaring her shoulders with the arrogance only a Queen could achieve. The fire of a thousand stars shimmered through her long, loose hair, and her eyes burned with cold moonlight. Her dress was like living flame, jealously concealing her fine, slender form, and Regina caught her breath to look upon her. 

Even as she watched Caerys, Regina's own power hummed with the call of the wild night. Taking a deep breath, she flung her head back and let the magic flood her with long-dormant darkness. Her dark eyes smouldered with fitful power, meeting the Red Queen's with delicious challenge. They were two creatures of unfathomable sorcery, unchained in the dark and stormy night.

The knowledge was intoxicating. 

Dressed in her sleek black dress, dark as damnation and feeling the unerring seduction of the savage winter magic around her, the Evil Queen finally felt utterly herself again. Her power roared, aching for release under the pull of the raw elemental magic, and she ignited a black fireball in her palm. Pulling her arm back, she tossing it high into the air with abandon. Snowflakes hissed fearfully at its passing, and it hovered high above for a long moment. Before it could fade, a blue-and-white fireball exploded into it mid-air with a collision like a firework. 

A dazzling shower of silver sparks rained down, denoting a challenge accepted.

Caerys met her gaze across the dark snow, danger glinting in her moonlight eyes. She raised her arms, power flashing, and caused the wind to whip the snowflakes into a frenzy. She flung the squall at Regina, but the Evil Queen laughed and threw up a fountain of snow to repel it. Clawing her fingers, she unleashed her magic instantaneously, tearing a nearby sapling out of the ground by the roots and hurling it forcefully back at the Red Queen. Caerys laughed, her eyes electrified with the intensity of the winter magic. She deflected it with a spiteful flick of her fingers.

"Is that the best you've got?" she taunted. The Evil Queen grinned wickedly in response.

Regina ignited a fireball, and Caerys raised her eyebrows mockingly. Ignoring her impertinence and quietly concentrating on split-second timing, Regina launched it at her. In the heartbeat that it connected with its mark, Caerys blinked against the brightness of the exploding flames, and Regina pulled ferociously at the air with her other hand. A flurry of snow caught the Red Queen off guard from behind, thrusting her forward to within Regina's range. 

The Evil Queen caught her through a shower of flame, fisted a hand through her starlight hair and seized a kiss from her scarlet lips. As the flames hissed into oblivion, she released her, and Caerys retreated to a safe distance with a frown of annoyance finally creasing her perfect face.

"Evil Queen – one. Red Queen – zero!" Regina crowed. She grinned darkly.

Caerys recovered her composure, returning her malevolent smile. "Overconfidence is a rookie mistake," she warned.

Regina scoffed, flicking a snowflake off her shoulder. "Perhaps you should take your own advice, dear." 

"The night is still young," Caerys promised, and her magic crackled in blue-and-white bolts around her. She glanced away from the town, in the direction of the surrounding woods. The faraway trees hunched menacingly in the gloom of the bleak night, bowed down with snowfall and spreading in a formidable swath of darkness across the landscape.

"I hope you're not afraid of the dark," she grinned wolfishly, and disappeared for the forest in a flourish of red smoke. 

Regina smiled wickedly at her retreat, and felt her magic flare deep in her core with the thrill of the chase. 

"Oh, darling," she purred, "I am the dark."

The echoes of her laughter rang out across the winter sky. Pulling her power around her, she vanished on the spot.


	16. Epilogue Part 2

"What do you think?" Emma asked Gold. 

They were standing at the window in Granny's Diner, looking out at the couple as they strode arm in arm down the street towards them. 

Regina's face was aglow, as much from her own budding happiness as from the frost of the morning. She was dressed in form-fitting black, and stepped out with poise in the chill winter air. At her side, Caerys laughed at something she'd said, flinging her head back and setting her starlight hair to dancing. Although it was still strange to see the Red Queen in normal clothing, she cut a fine figure in a long red coat buttoned over pale grey slacks.

"What do I think about Regina dating the person who tried to kill her?" Gold mused as he watched them, "I don't think she'd settle for anything less. They make a handsome couple."

Henry knelt up on the bench beside them, seeing for himself.

"She looks so happy," he smiled. He flopped back in his seat the right way around, satisfied, and Emma smiled down at him and ruffled his hair.

"What do you think about it, kid?" she asked him. She turned her gaze back outside.

"I think it's awesome!" Henry exclaimed with a grin. He leaned back to look over his shoulder again. "Mom's happy, and Caerys is cool - even if she is a bit scary..."

"Well," Mary-Margaret cut in, grimacing, "I, for one, don't think she should be dating that woman." She ran a hand through her short dark hair, glowering at the pair in distaste as they turned to the entrance of Granny's. The others stared at her incredulously.

"I never took you as one to be judgemental, Dearie," Gold sneered, "What does it matter if she dates a woman?"

"I didn't say a woman," Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes at his insinuation, "I said that woman. Don't you think having one evil witch for a stepmother is enough...?"

The others fell about laughing just as the door swung open, and Regina regarded them icily as she preceded Caerys inside.

"Someone like to share what's so funny?" she asked. She snapped off her gloves, glaring.

"Nothing," Emma bit back a smile. But her eyes fell upon Caerys, and she succumbed to laughter again as she saw Regina's suspicious expression mirrored on the Red Queen's face.

The two Sorceresses exchanged a dark look, and then stood side by side with their hands on their hips, waiting in silent challenge for an explanation.

"You see!" Mary-Margaret groaned. She sank back into her chair with the back of her hand pressed to her forehead.

"Two evil witches, indeed," Gold smirked, under his breath.

Henry got up from his seat to engulf Regina in a bearhug.

"Hi mom," he said, beaming up at her. She hugged him back, and then he looked politely across at the starlight figure at his mother's side. "Hi, Caerys."

"Hello, Henry," Caerys smiled at him. Her face melted at once from suspicious frown to a soft vision of gentleness. "Do you mind if we join you?"

"Of course not!" Henry beamed. He took them both by the hand and led them to his side of the table. He sat happily between them and smiled up at Regina. The Evil Queen spared a smile for him in return, but then schooled her features and turned her glare back on the rest of them.

"Well?" she demanded, folding her arms, "What's all this ridiculous merriment about?"

Henry nudged her impishly with his shoulder. "Snow's upset because she has two wicked stepmothers to deal with now, instead of just you." 

"Henry!" Mary-Margaret and Emma both admonished at the same time.

Regina's thunderous gaze swept to Snow White, who paled considerably, but the tension was interrupted by an outpouring of melodious laughter from Caerys. Henry grinned, joining in with her laughter immediately.

Despite herself, the Evil Queen broke into a smile of her own, and she turned airily to Mary-Margaret. "Oh, I'm sure we'll all get along, dear... As long as you stay away from the apples."

"Regina..." Mary-Margaret entreated, a look of panic in her eyes.

"Relax," Regina huffed, "I'm kidding... Obviously."

She sat back and put an arm around Henry's shoulders, gracing him with that special smile she reserved only for her son.

"Well, what'll it be, Henry?" she asked, flourishing a menu.

"Hot chocolate," he grinned, "With cinnamon!"

Regina threw a pained expression at Emma. "Why do I even bother to ask?"

Emma grinned back from the other side of the table as the Evil Queen turned back to their son and ruffled his shaggy hair. Henry was right, Emma thought, Regina really did seem happy. And Caerys was the embodiment of a Queen in company - graceful, friendly, pleasant. She was definitely easier to talk to than Regina; Emma smiled to herself at the thought of the Evil Queen's rather acerbic nature.

She watched the Sorceresses ordering hot chocolate and chatting to Henry, and she was struck by how noticeable they were when they were together. When they were in the same room they exuded a forceful magnetism that radiated tangibly around them. Frankly, their combined power was frightening, and she spared a fleeting grateful thought that Regina was on their side. To have to take on those two together would be all but impossible... 

Her thoughts wandered as she watched them; she knew very little about Caerys Halloran, but the woman had certainly completely seduced Regina.

After the final battle with the Netherworld Beast, and once Emma had recovered from her shock in seeing the Evil Queen locked in an enamoured embrace with the recent object of her deadly wrath, she had finally heard Caerys' side of the story. The Red Queen had spoken softly and earnestly, and her unembellished tale had made sense, most of it anyway – some of it was hard to come to terms with, like being the daughter of a Goddess, for example. But her frank, unadorned recounting of her whole story from the beginning had made Emma reconsider her opinion of her. And although Mary-Margaret had bantered about having two evil stepmothers, Emma actually didn't get the impression that Caerys was necessarily nefarious - rather, she just seemed to live by her own set of rules. 

She might be reserved and aloof, but that was to be expected from any Queen. She was calm and friendly, with a mild demeanour miles away from being called evil. In fact, the only thing that Emma had so far seen set her to dark and terrible wrath was a direct threat to Regina. Emma smiled to herself. It was also certainly true that she'd brought out Regina's dark side again, but to be honest, it seemed to be for the best. Secretly, Emma was pleased for the Evil Queen. It appeared that in Caerys' company, Regina was finally reaching her own conclusions about herself, and in doing so, had finally tripped the switch on her Happy Ending.

Thinking about Regina's dark side, Emma remembered briefly what Gold had said to her earlier that morning, about the snowstorm the night before that had turned supernatural at around midnight. He'd risen from his bed to investigate, and seen parti-coloured fireballs careening through the air. Emma had gone out to inspect the damage herself just after dawn, and found the devastation in the depths of the forest far superior to anything ever caused by a mere snowstorm. She suspected beyond a shadow of a doubt that the two Queens sitting nonchalantly across the table from her were responsible for it, but she held her tongue. If they were keeping each other occupied, that was their business, and it would do Regina good to have a reasonable outlet for her immense power at last.

Emma turned back to the enigma of Regina's Hero complex, or Villain complex, depending on which way you looked at it. 

The Evil Queen had tried so hard to be good, to turn to the light, but in doing so she had lost part of herself. She'd retreated into a realm of shaky confidence, second-guessing her instincts as she tried to turn away from the darkest parts of herself. As a result, she'd left herself wide open to attack from the savage beast that had eventually closed in on the scent of her wounded darkness like a hound on a bloody carcass. 

Emma had long ago suspected that Regina's disavowal of one or other side of her true nature was the problem, but now she was sure. Scrutinizing Regina carefully while she was distracted, Emma found that she could see the Evil Queen in Regina's demeanour plain as day, but the woman was still there too, alive and well, and happy. And she was also certain that, somehow, it was Caerys who had revived the Evil Queen and Regina Mills both.

Across the table, Regina laughed brightly at something Henry had said, and Emma smiled to herself as she watched her. Regina Mills was a complex fusion of darkness and light, and one aspect sickled without the other. She appeared to have finally come to terms with the fact that the darkness was part of who she was, but not all of who she was. The light was there in equal measure, and each had their place in her nature. The result of her acceptance was an indescribable liveliness that stemmed forth from her in an enigmatic glow. Doubtless, Emma thought wryly, they'd all have a few more adventures whilst Regina figured out when to use which part of herself, but the important thing was that both halves were now on even terms, meeting in the middle at last.

Still lost in her own thoughts, Emma suddenly became aware of the prickle of magical eyes analysing her face. She broke out of her reverie with a start, and looked up sharply to see Caerys watching her intently with a raptor gaze. Apparently, even thinking about Regina was enough to set the Red Queen to vigilance, and her uncanny moonlight eyes never seemed to miss a thing. But Caerys simply smiled at her, as though acknowledging that they were on the same side, and Emma dipped her head in acquiescence.

Indeed, the Red Queen truly was something otherworldly. Emma couldn't think of a better match for the Evil Queen. Regina had discovered her true nature, and, with it, her true soulmate. 

She had found the start of her own Happy Ending, at last.


End file.
